specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Azure Kubernetes Service
providerId: azure-kubernetes-service
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:
  - Containers
  - Kubernetes
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Azure Kubernetes Service: free cluster management on the Free
  tier (no SLA), pay-per-cluster-hour on Standard / Premium for control-plane SLA, plus pay-as-you-go
  for the underlying VMs, disks, load balancers, and egress. Tier choice and node-pool right-sizing dominate
  total cost.'
sources:
  - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/kubernetes-service/
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/free-standard-pricing-tiers
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/quotas-skus-regions
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: Microsoft Corporation
serviceCategory: Container Platform
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Pay-As-You-Go + Committed Use
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Tax
    - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Azure Kubernetes Service
  ServiceCategory: Container Platform
  ProviderName: Microsoft
  PublisherName: Microsoft Corporation
  InvoiceIssuerName: Microsoft Corporation
  PricingCategory: Pay-As-You-Go
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
meters:
  - name: control_plane_hours
    description: Per-cluster-hour management charge on Standard / Premium tiers
    unit: cluster-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - tier
      - region
      - cluster
  - name: node_vm_hours
    description: Agent node compute time
    unit: instance-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - vm_sku
      - region
      - node_pool
      - cluster
  - name: managed_disks
    description: OS disks and persistent volumes
    unit: GB-month
    aggregation: avg
    dimensions:
      - disk_tier
      - region
  - name: load_balancer
    description: Standard Load Balancer rules and data processed
    unit: rule-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
  - name: egress_bandwidth
    description: Internet / cross-region traffic from cluster
    unit: GB
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - destination
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use AKS Cost Analysis (preview) which integrates with OpenCost; layer Azure Cost Management
      tag-based filters by namespace, deployment, and pod label propagated from cluster tags.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag clusters and node pools; map Kubernetes namespaces to teams via cost allocation
      labels; use OpenCost or Microsoft Cost Analysis to break down by workload.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Use Free tier for non-production; pick Standard over Premium unless LTS is required;
      enable cluster autoscaler and Karpenter-style pod-driven scaling; right-size VM SKUs; use Spot
      node pools for fault-tolerant workloads; commit to Azure Reservations or Savings Plans for steady
      node pools.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Assign cluster admins as cost owners; review monthly per-namespace cost trends; alert
      on unattended node-pool growth or Spot eviction-driven cost spikes.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com