specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
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/
provider: LooksRare
providerId: looksrare
publisherName: LooksRare
serviceCategory: API
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
tags:
  - NFT
  - Marketplace
  - Ethereum
  - FinOps
  - Cost Management
  - FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps Framework alignment for the LooksRare public REST API. The LooksRare
  API itself is free, so the primary cost domains for integrators are Ethereum
  gas (for on-chain settlement of matched orders), attribution compliance
  (operational cost of UI implementation), and development time for mainnet API
  key onboarding. Any platform building on LooksRare should also account for
  the opportunity cost of LOOKS token dynamics affecting marketplace liquidity
  and user behaviour.
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Track on-chain settlement gas costs per NFT trade alongside any engineering time spent integrating the API and maintaining the required attribution UI.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag each indexed collection, token query, and event poll with the consuming team and application feature to attribute infrastructure costs and rate-limit quota to the right business unit.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Leverage the 10-second response cache by aligning polling intervals; use cursor-based pagination to minimise redundant requests; develop on Sepolia (no API key required) before requesting a mainnet key.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Assign ownership of attribution compliance, API key management, and Ethereum gas budget to named engineering or product owners.

domains:
  - name: API Access Cost
    description: The LooksRare public REST API is free to use with attribution. There is no subscription fee, per-call charge, or data fee.
    costDrivers:
      - attribution_ui_engineering
      - api_key_onboarding
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Purchase
      ChargeClass: One-time
      ServiceCategory: API
      ServiceSubcategory: NFT Marketplace
      PricingCategory: Free
      PricingUnit: attribution_implementation

  - name: On-Chain Gas (Order Settlement)
    description: >-
      NFT trades matched via the LooksRare order book are settled on Ethereum
      Mainnet. The buyer (taker) pays gas for the settlement transaction.
      Integrators building taker-side UIs should expose gas estimates and
      display current base fee to users. Gas cost varies with Ethereum network
      congestion and trade complexity (standard vs collection order).
    costDrivers:
      - ethereum_base_fee_gwei
      - order_type (standard vs collection)
      - erc_standard (ERC-721 vs ERC-1155)
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Usage
      ChargeClass: Consumption
      ServiceCategory: Blockchain
      ServiceSubcategory: Gas
      PricingCategory: Variable
      PricingUnit: gas_units

  - name: Development and Maintenance
    description: >-
      Engineering cost to integrate the API, implement attribution UI, manage
      API key rotation, handle pagination, and adapt to API changelog updates
      (e.g. V1-to-V2 migration, Seaport endpoint additions).
    costDrivers:
      - integration_complexity
      - changelog_frequency
      - attribution_ui_maintenance
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Usage
      ChargeClass: Other
      ServiceCategory: API
      ServiceSubcategory: Integration
      PricingCategory: Variable
      PricingUnit: engineering_hours

  - name: Elevated Rate Limit Onboarding
    description: >-
      If an application requires higher rate limits, the developer must engage
      with the LooksRare team via Discord and demonstrate a production-ready
      integration. This represents an operational overhead cost.
    costDrivers:
      - request_volume
      - discord_engagement_time
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Purchase
      ChargeClass: One-time
      ServiceCategory: API
      ServiceSubcategory: Rate Limits
      PricingCategory: Free
      PricingUnit: onboarding_hours

focusFields:
  required:
    - BillingPeriodStart
    - BillingPeriodEnd
    - ChargeCategory
    - ChargePeriodStart
    - ChargePeriodEnd
    - ProviderName
    - PublisherName
    - InvoiceIssuerName
    - ServiceName
    - ServiceCategory
    - BilledCost
    - EffectiveCost
    - ListCost
    - ContractedCost
    - PricingCategory
    - PricingUnit
    - PricingQuantity
  recommended:
    - SubAccountId
    - SubAccountName
    - ResourceId
    - ResourceName
    - ResourceType
    - Region
    - Tags
  looksRareSpecific:
    - x-lr-collection (NFT collection contract address queried)
    - x-lr-chain (ethereum or sepolia)
    - x-lr-api-version (v1 or v2)
    - x-lr-order-type (ask or bid)
    - x-lr-strategy (standard or collection)
    - x-lr-gas-used (on-chain gas consumed for settlement transactions)

unitEconomics:
  - metric: Cost per Order Created
    formula: On-chain gas cost / Count of successful POST /v2/orders submissions
    insight: Track gas efficiency of order creation frequency; avoid creating orders that are unlikely to be filled.
  - metric: API Requests per Active Collection
    formula: Total API calls in period / Distinct collection addresses queried
    insight: Identify over-queried collections and implement local caching to stay within default rate limits.
  - metric: Cache Hit Rate
    formula: Requests returning cached data (within 10s window) / Total requests
    insight: Aligning polling intervals to the 10-second cache window reduces wasted quota.

notes:
  - LooksRare listing rewards (LOOKS token incentives per trade) were discontinued 2023-03-15, eliminating that revenue-offset dimension for integrators.
  - On-chain gas is the dominant variable cost for integrators building NFT trading interfaces on top of LooksRare; monitor Ethereum gas prices and implement gas estimation via the LooksRare SDK v2.
  - The Seaport integration (v2/orders/seaport) may have different gas profiles than the native LooksRare V2 protocol — benchmark both paths for gas-sensitive applications.