specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Solana
providerId: solana
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Blockchain
  - Cryptocurrency
  - Web3
  - RPC
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Solana RPC infrastructure. Solana's public RPC endpoints carry no direct
  monetary cost but impose rate limits that create operational risk. Production cost is incurred via
  self-hosted validator/RPC nodes (infrastructure spend) or commercial RPC provider subscriptions
  (third-party SaaS). Transaction fees (denominated in SOL lamports) are the primary on-chain cost
  metric for applications submitting transactions. Priority fees are an additional variable cost
  for time-sensitive transactions.
sources:
  - https://solana.com/docs/rpc
  - https://solana.com/docs/references/clusters
  - 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: Solana Foundation
serviceCategory: Blockchain Infrastructure
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage
  billingFrequency: Per-transaction (on-chain fees) + subscription (RPC provider)
  billingCurrency: SOL (on-chain) / USD (RPC providers)
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Solana RPC
  ServiceCategory: Blockchain Infrastructure
  ProviderName: Solana Foundation
  PublisherName: Solana Foundation
  InvoiceIssuerName: Solana Foundation
  BillingCurrency: SOL / USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage
  PricingUnit: transaction / request
meters:
  - name: transaction_fee_lamports
    description: >-
      Base transaction fee in lamports (1 SOL = 1,000,000,000 lamports) charged per transaction
      signature submitted to the network. The base fee is 5,000 lamports per signature.
    unit: lamport
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - cluster
      - transaction_type
      - num_signatures
  - name: priority_fee_lamports
    description: >-
      Optional additional priority fee in lamports per compute unit consumed, added to increase the
      probability of transaction inclusion in the next block. Varies by network congestion.
    unit: lamport
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - cluster
      - compute_units_consumed
  - name: rpc_requests
    description: >-
      Total RPC HTTP and WebSocket subscription requests made against public or private RPC endpoints.
      Free on public endpoints (rate-limited); metered by commercial providers.
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - cluster
      - method
      - endpoint_type
  - name: rpc_provider_spend
    description: >-
      Monthly or usage-based spend to a commercial RPC provider (Helius, QuickNode, Alchemy, etc.)
      for dedicated RPC access beyond public rate limits.
    unit: USD
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - provider
      - plan_tier
      - billing_period
  - name: validator_infrastructure_spend
    description: >-
      Monthly infrastructure cost for self-hosted Solana RPC or validator nodes including compute,
      storage, and network egress.
    unit: USD
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - cloud_provider
      - node_type
      - region
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: >-
      Instrument every RPC call with method-level tagging to distinguish high-frequency polling calls
      (getSlot, getHealth) from expensive data calls (getProgramAccounts) for cost attribution.
      Track on-chain transaction fees by program and transaction type using getTransaction.
  - name: Allocation
    description: >-
      Tag RPC usage by application component (indexer, wallet, trading bot, analytics). For on-chain
      fees, attribute lamport costs to the paying account using the fee field in transaction metadata.
      Allocate RPC provider subscription costs to product teams consuming the endpoints.
  - name: Optimization
    description: >-
      Replace HTTP polling with WebSocket subscriptions to reduce request count. Use dataSlice and
      memcmp filters on getProgramAccounts to reduce bandwidth. Batch getMultipleAccounts instead of
      individual getAccountInfo calls. Use getRecentPrioritizationFees to right-size priority fees
      rather than overpaying during low-congestion periods.
  - name: Accountability
    description: >-
      Set per-team RPC request budgets and alert on 429 error spikes as a proxy for overspend.
      Review priority fee spend weekly during high-congestion periods. Designate an infrastructure
      owner for RPC provider contract renewals and validator node sizing.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com