specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Kuma
providerId: kuma
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
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Kuma: open-source service mesh with no license fee for the OSS
  build; Kong Mesh (the commercial distribution by Kong, Inc.) is a contact-sales subscription. FinOps
  signal at the OSS level comes entirely from the underlying compute and network spend (control-plane
  pods, sidecar proxies, mesh-internal traffic).'
sources:
  - https://kuma.io/
  - https://konghq.com/products/kong-mesh
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: Kong, Inc.
serviceCategory: Service Mesh / Networking
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Open Source + Enterprise Subscription
  billingFrequency: Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Kuma
  ServiceCategory: Service Mesh
  ProviderName: Kuma (CNCF) / Kong Mesh (Kong, Inc.)
  PublisherName: Kong, Inc.
  InvoiceIssuerName: Kong, Inc.
  BillingCurrency: USD
meters:
  - name: control_plane_compute
    unit: vCPU-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - zone
      - cluster
  - name: dataplane_proxies
    unit: proxy
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - mesh
      - zone
      - service
  - name: mesh_traffic
    unit: GB
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - source_service
      - destination_service
      - zone
  - name: kong_mesh_subscription_seats
    unit: seat
    aggregation: max
  - name: managed_meshes
    unit: mesh
    aggregation: max
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use Kuma's built-in Prometheus metrics and traffic permissions API plus the data-plane
      Envoy stats to attribute traffic and proxy compute to source/destination services.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Map each Kuma 'service' tag and 'mesh' to a team/product label; carry those labels onto
      the underlying pod and node bill via Kubernetes labels.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Right-size sidecar resource requests; co-locate heavy mesh-internal traffic in the same
      zone to avoid cross-AZ egress; consolidate meshes only where isolation is required (each mesh has
      its own control-plane footprint); turn off optional features (tracing exporters, access logs to
      object storage) when not in active use.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Platform team owns the Kuma control plane and Kong Mesh subscription (if any); product
      teams own the sidecar overhead of the services they ship. Review proxy count and mesh traffic monthly;
      escalate Kong Mesh seat / cluster overages before renewal.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com