specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Kubecost
providerId: kubecost
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
  - Cloud Cost
  - Kubernetes
  - Cost Management
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Kubecost: Apptio-licensed Kubernetes cost-allocation and optimization
  tooling. Foundations is free; Enterprise tiers are subscription contracts. The product itself emits
  the FinOps signal — its Allocation, Assets, Cloud Cost, Budget, Forecast, and Savings APIs are the
  data plane that downstream FinOps tooling consumes.'
sources:
  - https://www.apptio.com/pricing?src=kc-com
  - https://docs.kubecost.com/apis/monitoring-apis/api-allocation
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: International Business Machines Corporation (Apptio)
serviceCategory: Cloud Cost Management
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Freemium + Subscription
  billingFrequency: Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Adjustment
    - Credit
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Kubecost
  ServiceCategory: Cloud Cost Management
  ProviderName: Kubecost
  PublisherName: International Business Machines Corporation (Apptio)
  InvoiceIssuerName: Apptio, Inc.
  BillingCurrency: USD
meters:
  - name: cluster_cores
    unit: core
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - cluster
      - cloud_provider
      - region
  - name: monitored_clusters
    unit: cluster
    aggregation: count
  - name: metric_retention_days
    unit: day
    aggregation: max
  - name: allocation_queries
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - api
      - window
      - aggregation
  - name: gpu_optimization_enabled
    unit: cluster
    aggregation: count
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use the Allocation, Assets, and Cloud Cost APIs to expose Kubernetes spend by namespace,
      label, deployment, controller, and cloud asset; reconcile against AWS/Azure/GCP bills via the bill-reconciliation
      pipeline.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Drive cost allocation off Kubernetes labels and annotations; align label keys with the
      organization's chargeback dimensions (team, product, environment).
  - name: Optimization
    description: Use the Savings API to surface right-sizing, abandoned workload, and request/limit recommendations;
      drive Forecast API into the FinOps planning loop.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Set Budget API alerts per namespace owner; review weekly Allocation deltas in the FinOps
      practice cadence; tie Foundations vs Enterprise feature differences (RBAC, retention) to the maturity
      stage of the consuming team.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com