specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Istio
providerId: istio
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Service Mesh
  - Open Source
  - Kubernetes
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Istio: open-source software with no license fee. Cost is dominated
  by the Kubernetes / cloud infrastructure required to run the control plane, sidecars (Envoy proxies),
  and supporting observability backends, plus optional commercial-distribution subscriptions.'
sources:
  - https://istio.io/
  - https://istio.io/latest/about/faq/
  - https://www.cncf.io/projects/istio/
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: Cloud Native Computing Foundation
serviceCategory: Service Mesh / Networking
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Open Source (no fee) + Optional Subscription
  billingFrequency: N/A
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
    - Usage
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Istio
  ServiceCategory: Service Mesh
  ProviderName: Istio (CNCF)
  PublisherName: Cloud Native Computing Foundation
  InvoiceIssuerName: N/A (open source)
  BillingCurrency: USD
meters:
  - name: control_plane_compute
    unit: instance-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - cloud_provider
      - region
      - cluster
  - name: sidecar_proxy_compute
    unit: instance-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workload
      - namespace
      - cluster
  - name: mesh_traffic
    unit: GB
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - source
      - destination
      - protocol
  - name: telemetry_storage
    unit: GB-month
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - backend
  - name: commercial_subscription
    unit: month
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - vendor
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use Prometheus / Kiali / Grafana dashboards already shipped with Istio to attribute
      sidecar CPU and memory back to workloads; export Envoy access-log volume to align with FOCUS
      meters.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag namespaces and workloads with team / product labels so sidecar CPU, memory, and
      egress can be charged back via Kubecost or OpenCost.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Right-size sidecar resources, enable Ambient mode (sidecar-less) where appropriate,
      tune telemetry sampling and access-log filters, and consolidate to a single mesh per organization
      where governance allows.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Platform team owns control-plane cost; application teams own sidecar overhead in their
      namespaces; quarterly mesh-cost review.
maintainers:
  - FN: API Evangelist
    email: info@apievangelist.com