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: Zora
providerId: zora
publisherName: Zora
serviceCategory: API
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
tags:
  - NFT
  - Web3
  - Blockchain
  - Creator Economy
  - Marketplace
  - FinOps
  - Cost Management
  - FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps framework definition for the Zora API surface. Zora's public APIs
  (NFT GraphQL API, Coins SDK REST API, Protocol SDK) are free to use with a
  free API key. There are no metered per-request charges published by Zora;
  cost exposure arises from on-chain gas fees when minting or transacting via
  the Protocol SDK, and from third-party node provider charges if teams choose
  premium RPC endpoints over the public shared node.

principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: >-
      Track API call volumes to distinguish free-tier unauthenticated traffic
      from API-key-authenticated traffic. Monitor on-chain gas costs separately
      as they are the primary real cost driver.
  - name: Allocation
    description: >-
      Tag API key usage and on-chain wallet addresses by team, environment,
      and product feature for cost allocation.
  - name: Optimization
    description: >-
      Use GraphQL query projection to request only needed fields, reducing
      payload size and improving cache hit rates. Batch queries where the API
      supports it to stay within rate limits.
  - name: Accountability
    description: >-
      Assign wallet addresses and API keys to specific engineering teams or
      product lines to surface gas spend by owner.

domains:
  - name: Understand Usage and Cost
    capabilities:
      - Data Ingestion
      - Allocation
      - Reporting and Analytics
      - Anomaly Management
  - name: Quantify Business Value
    capabilities:
      - Planning and Estimating
      - Forecasting
      - Budgeting
      - Unit Economics
  - name: Optimize Usage and Cost
    capabilities:
      - Architecting for Cloud
      - Rate Optimization
      - Workload Optimization
  - name: Manage the FinOps Practice
    capabilities:
      - FinOps Practice Operations
      - Invoicing and Chargeback
      - Onboarding Workloads

billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Free (API) / Usage-Based (on-chain gas)
  billingFrequency: None (API) / Per-transaction (on-chain)
  billingCurrency: ETH / USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Gas (on-chain minting and transactions via Protocol SDK)
    - Third-party RPC node costs (if applicable)
  chargeFrequency: Per-transaction (gas)
  notes: >-
    Zora's read APIs (NFT GraphQL, Coins SDK REST) are free with no published
    per-call charges. Write operations (minting, transfers) incur Ethereum or
    L2 gas fees paid by the calling wallet. Gasless premint flows defer gas
    until a collector mints, shifting cost to the collector.

focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Zora
  ServiceCategory: Developer Tools / Web3 API
  ProviderName: Zora
  PublisherName: Zora
  InvoiceIssuerName: Zora / Ethereum Network
  PricingCategory: Free / Usage-Based
  PricingUnit: request (API) / transaction (on-chain)
  BillingCurrency: USD / ETH
  ChargeCategory: Usage

meters:
  - name: api_requests
    description: Count of API calls to the Zora NFT GraphQL or Coins SDK REST endpoints
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - api
      - endpoint
      - tier
      - consumer
  - name: onchain_transactions
    description: Minting and transfer transactions submitted via the Protocol SDK
    unit: transaction
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - network
      - contract
      - consumer
      - wallet
  - name: gas_eth
    description: ETH paid in gas for on-chain transactions
    unit: ETH
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - network
      - wallet
      - consumer

apis:
  - name: Zora NFT GraphQL API
    baseURL: https://api.zora.co/graphql
    tags:
      - NFT
      - GraphQL
      - Metadata
      - Collections
      - Sales
      - Mints
    serviceName: Zora NFT GraphQL API
    serviceCategory: API
  - name: Zora Coins SDK REST API
    baseURL: https://api-sdk.zora.engineering/api
    tags:
      - Coins
      - REST
      - Market Data
      - Profile
    serviceName: Zora Coins SDK REST API
    serviceCategory: API
  - name: Zora Protocol SDK
    baseURL: https://zora.co
    tags:
      - Protocol SDK
      - Minting
      - ERC-1155
      - ERC-721
    serviceName: Zora Protocol SDK
    serviceCategory: SDK
  - name: Zora Network RPC
    baseURL: https://rpc.zora.energy
    tags:
      - RPC
      - JSON-RPC
      - L2
    serviceName: Zora Network RPC
    serviceCategory: API

unitEconomics:
  - name: Cost per 1K API Requests
    metric: third_party_rpc_cost / (api_requests / 1000)
    target: TBD
  - name: Average Gas per Mint
    metric: gas_eth / onchain_transactions
    target: TBD

optimizationRecommendations:
  - name: Use Gasless Premints
    description: >-
      The Zora Protocol SDK supports gasless premints where a creator signs
      metadata off-chain and gas is only spent when the first collector mints.
      This eliminates upfront gas costs for creators deploying new tokens.
  - name: Deploy on Zora Network or Base
    description: >-
      Minting on the Zora Network L2 or Base incurs significantly lower gas
      fees than Ethereum mainnet. Evaluate L2 deployment for high-frequency
      or bulk minting workflows.
  - name: Obtain a Free API Key
    description: >-
      Register at https://zora.co/settings/developer to obtain a free API key.
      This unlocks higher rate limits and avoids the 120 req/min shared cap,
      reducing the risk of 429 errors and retry overhead.
  - name: Use GraphQL Projections
    description: >-
      Request only the fields needed in GraphQL queries to reduce payload
      sizes, improve latency, and lower downstream processing costs.
  - name: Evaluate Third-Party RPC vs Public Node
    description: >-
      The public Zora Network RPC (rpc.zora.energy) is rate-limited.
      Teams with sustained high-throughput RPC needs should evaluate Conduit,
      QuickNode, or Alchemy managed nodes whose costs should be tracked as
      a separate API cost line item.

maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com