specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Keygen
providerId: keygen
created: '2026-07-01'
modified: '2026-07-01'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Software Licensing
- Entitlements
- Distribution
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Keygen spend. Keygen Cloud is a subscription service billed
  primarily on active licensed users (ALUs) - unique licenses that validate in
  a billing period - with tier-based feature gating (Software Licensing API on
  every tier, Distribution API on Std and above) and enterprise add-ons (SLA,
  SSO, audit logs). Self-hosted Keygen CE carries no license fee (infra cost
  only); Keygen EE is a flat-rate self-hosted license. The dominant cost driver
  on Cloud is ALU growth, so cost control centers on how licenses are modeled
  and which tier that ALU volume lands in.
notes: >-
  Keygen bills per active licensed user per period, not per API request; API
  usage is governed by rate limits rather than metered charges. Verify tier
  boundaries and ALU definitions against the pricing page during reconciliation.
sources:
- https://keygen.sh/pricing/
- https://keygen.sh/docs/
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
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: Keygen
serviceCategory: Developer Tools
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Keygen Cloud
  ServiceCategory: Developer Tools
  ProviderName: Keygen
  PublisherName: Keygen
  InvoiceIssuerName: Keygen
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Subscription
meters:
- name: active_licensed_users
  description: Unique licenses that validate within the billing period; the primary Cloud pricing metric.
  unit: users
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - product
  - policy
- name: subscription_tier
  description: The Cloud tier (Dev / Std / Ent) that ALU volume and feature needs place the account in.
  unit: tier
  aggregation: latest
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: releases_published
  description: Product releases published for distribution; capped on lower tiers.
  unit: releases
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - product
- name: distribution_egress
  description: Artifact download/distribution bandwidth (informational; relevant to self-hosted infra cost).
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - release
- name: self_hosted_license
  description: Flat-rate Keygen EE license, or zero-cost CE, for self-hosted deployments.
  unit: license
  aggregation: latest
  dimensions:
  - deployment
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track active licensed users over time and map them to the Cloud tier band you are billed in.
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag licenses and policies per product/customer segment to attribute ALU-driven spend to cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Prune stale/expired licenses that still count as ALUs, right-size the tier, and evaluate self-hosted CE/EE when ALU volume makes flat-rate cheaper than per-ALU Cloud.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per product line; review ALU trend and tier fit monthly against budget and growth.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com