README.md

Kubernetes FinOps Label Schema

Just as there are recommended labels for Kubernetes objects, there is a need for FinOps based labels to assist in allocating the cost for Kubernetes workloads.

Labels

Key	Description	Example	Type	Maturity
finops.org/application	Application Name	acme fitness	string	1 - Crawl
finops.org/cost-center	Cost Center	acme-1001	string	1 - Crawl
finops.org/team	Team	road-runner	string	1 - Crawl
finops.org/product	Product Name	acme fitness store	string	2 - Walk
finops.org/department	Department	retail	string	2 - Walk
finops.org/environment	Environment	production	string	2 - Walk
finops.org/customer	Customer Name	acme	string	2 - Walk
finops.org/service	Service	store shopping cart	string	3 - Run
finops.org/component	Component	database	string	3 - Run
finops.org/tech-stack	Technology Stack by Purpose	application	string	3 - Run

Examples

To illustrate different ways to use these labels the following examples have varying complexity based on the concepts of the FinOps Maturity Model.

Crawl

During the Crawl stage, you would be looking to implement the most basic high level labels to provide the beginning of some cost visibility within your Kubernetes infrastructure. This could be done at a high level like namespace if that works for the way you are using Kubernetes. It could also be done throughout the Kubernetes hierarchy enabling different personas to better understand the costs at different levels.

namespace-crawl.yaml

kind: Namespace
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner

deployment-crawl.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: acmefit-frontend
  namespace: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner

Walk

The Walk stage builds on the labels that we implemented during the Crawl stage. The intent is to provide further detail about the resources thereby extending the visibility and enabling more granular reporting on costs and efficiency.

namespace-walk.yaml

kind: Namespace
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner
    finops.org/product: acme-fitness-store
    finops.org/department: retail
    finops.org/environment: production
    finops.org/customer: acme

deployment-walk.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: acmefit-frontend
  namespace: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner
    finops.org/product: acme-fitness-store
    finops.org/department: retail
    finops.org/environment: production
    finops.org/customer: acme

Run

Run builds on top of the Crawl and Walk stages to provide the deepest level granularity and reporting of your Kubernetes costs across environments, resources, and personas.

namespace-run.yaml

kind: Namespace
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner
    finops.org/product: acme-fitness-store
    finops.org/department: retail
    finops.org/environment: production
    finops.org/customer: acme
    finops.org/component: full stack
    finops.org/tech-stack: application

deployment-run.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: acmefit-frontend
  namespace: acme-fitness
  labels:
    finops.org/application: acme-fitness
    finops.org/cost-center: acme-1001
    finops.org/team: road-runner
    finops.org/product: acme-fitness-store
    finops.org/department: retail
    finops.org/environment: production
    finops.org/customer: acme
    finops.org/service: frontend
    finops.org/component: frontend
    finops.org/tech-stack: application