specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: Stellar
providerId: stellar
created: '2026-06-14'
modified: '2026-06-14'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Blockchain
  - Cryptocurrency
  - DEX
  - Ledger
  - Payments
  - Stellar
description: >-
  The Stellar Horizon API (SDF-hosted) is free and open to use with no API key, registration, or
  subscription required. Network transaction fees on Stellar are paid in XLM (the native asset) at
  the time of transaction submission and are not charged per API call. The minimum base fee is 100
  stroops (0.00001 XLM) per operation; during network congestion users may submit a higher fee to
  prioritize inclusion. Teams requiring higher API throughput or SLA guarantees must self-host
  Horizon or use a third-party RPC provider. The Stellar network itself has no native paid API tier.
sources:
  - https://developers.stellar.org/docs/data/apis/horizon
  - https://developers.stellar.org/docs/learn/fundamentals/fees-resource-limits-metering
plans:
  - id: stellar-free-public
    name: Stellar Horizon — Public Free
    type: free
    description: Open access to the SDF-hosted Horizon REST API at horizon.stellar.org. No registration,
      API key, or payment required. Rate limited to 3,600 requests per hour per IP address.
    entries:
      - label: API calls
        name: api_calls_free
        type: flat-rate
        metric: requests_per_hour
        limit: 3600
        timeFrame: hour
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: 0.00
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Full Horizon REST API access (read and submit)
      - name: SSE streaming for real-time ledger events
      - name: Public mainnet and testnet instances
      - name: No API key required
  - id: stellar-self-hosted
    name: Stellar Horizon — Self-Hosted
    type: custom
    description: Organizations run their own Horizon instance against a Stellar Core full node or
      captive core. This eliminates the SDF rate limit and provides full control over data retention,
      query performance, and uptime SLA. Infrastructure cost varies by cloud provider and node size.
    entries:
      - label: Infrastructure cost
        name: infra_cost
        type: variable
        metric: infrastructure
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: variable
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Unlimited API request rate (self-imposed limits only)
      - name: Full control over ingestion window and data retention
      - name: No dependency on SDF infrastructure
      - name: Open-source Apache 2.0 licensed software
  - id: stellar-network-fees
    name: Stellar Network Transaction Fees
    type: usage-based
    description: Transaction fees on the Stellar network are paid in XLM at submission time. The
      minimum base fee is 100 stroops (0.00001 XLM) per operation in a transaction. During
      surge pricing, users may set higher fees (fee bumps) to compete for inclusion in the next ledger.
    entries:
      - label: Minimum fee per operation
        name: min_fee_per_op
        type: metered
        metric: operation
        limit: -1
        timeFrame: usage
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: 0.00001 XLM (100 stroops)
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: Fee paid in XLM (native asset)
      - name: Fee bump transactions for third-party fee sponsorship
      - name: Surge pricing during high network load
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com