specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Safe (Gnosis Safe)
providerId: gnosis-safe
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Multisig
  - Smart Contract
  - Blockchain
  - DeFi
  - Wallet
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Safe Transaction Service API. The dominant cost driver
  is the monthly subscription tier (Builder free, Growth EUR 199/month, Scale EUR
  499+/month), with the billing unit being one API unit per HTTP request to any Safe
  Infrastructure endpoint. Webhook slots (Growth: 2, Scale: 10) add operational
  capability but are included in the subscription with no per-event overage charge.
  The Safe{Core} SDK (@safe-global/api-kit) and open-source safe-transaction-service
  are free; cost begins only when using the hosted Safe Infrastructure. Custom plans
  above Scale thresholds are negotiated directly with Safe. Pricing is denominated
  in EUR. Charges are assessed monthly with hard quota blocking (HTTP 429) rather
  than metered overage billing at the published tiers.
sources:
  - https://safe.global/api
  - https://docs.safe.global/core-api/how-to-use-api-keys
  - https://docs.safe.global/core-api/api-pricing
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Safe Ecosystem Foundation
serviceCategory: Blockchain Infrastructure
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription (Tiered) + Custom Enterprise
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: EUR
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
    - Usage
    - Adjustment
    - Tax
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Safe Transaction Service
  ServiceCategory: Blockchain Infrastructure
  ProviderName: Safe
  PublisherName: Safe Ecosystem Foundation
  InvoiceIssuerName: Safe Ecosystem Foundation
  BillingCurrency: EUR
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
meters:
  - name: subscription_builder
    description: >-
      Monthly Builder plan subscription. Free tier providing 50,000 API units/month
      and 5 RPS. No monetary charge.
    unit: month
    aggregation: sum
    price: 0
    currency: EUR
    dimensions:
      - account_id
      - plan_tier
  - name: subscription_growth
    description: >-
      Monthly Growth plan subscription. EUR 199/month providing 1,000,000 API
      units/month, 15 RPS, and 2 webhook endpoints.
    unit: month
    aggregation: sum
    price: 199
    currency: EUR
    dimensions:
      - account_id
      - plan_tier
  - name: subscription_scale
    description: >-
      Monthly Scale plan subscription. EUR 499+/month providing 3,000,000 API
      units/month, 50 RPS, and 10 webhook endpoints. Custom pricing available
      above standard thresholds.
    unit: month
    aggregation: sum
    price: 499
    currency: EUR
    dimensions:
      - account_id
      - plan_tier
  - name: api_units
    description: >-
      One API unit = one HTTP request to any Safe Infrastructure endpoint
      (Transaction Service, Config Service, Client Gateway). Quota is capped per
      plan; requests above the cap return HTTP 429 with no overage billing at
      published tiers.
    unit: api_unit
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - account_id
      - plan_tier
      - chain_id
      - endpoint_path
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: >-
      Inspect the quota-remaining response headers on every API call to track
      monthly consumption in real time. Use the developer portal at
      developer.safe.global to review historical usage and set up alerts before
      hitting the monthly cap. Separate API keys per environment (dev/staging/prod)
      to isolate cost attribution.
  - name: Allocation
    description: >-
      Issue distinct API keys per application, team, or business unit to enable
      fine-grained allocation of API unit consumption to cost centers. Log the
      chain_id and endpoint_path dimensions with each request to break down costs
      by network and operation type.
  - name: Optimization
    description: >-
      Cache immutable data (executed transaction details, Safe configuration) locally
      to reduce read request volume against the Transaction Service. Batch signature
      confirmations where the signing flow permits it. Use webhooks (Growth/Scale)
      instead of polling for pending transaction updates to reduce GET request count.
      Right-size the plan: Builder is suitable for development/staging, Growth for
      most production apps, Scale only when RPS or monthly volumes approach Growth
      limits. Self-hosting safe-transaction-service (open-source) eliminates API unit
      costs for infrastructure-owning teams.
  - name: Accountability
    description: >-
      Assign a platform engineering or DevOps owner to monitor monthly quota burn
      rate. Set up threshold alerts at 50%, 80%, and 95% of the monthly quota to
      enable proactive plan upgrades rather than experiencing 429 blocking in
      production. Evaluate upgrade from Builder to Growth before launching any
      production workload. Negotiate custom Scale pricing if sustained throughput
      exceeds 3M calls/month or 50 RPS.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com