"The OpenCost project, an open-source cost and resource management tool hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), has published a year-in-review reflecting on its progress in 2025 and outlining priorities for 2026. The update highlights an active release cadence, expanded capabilities including an AI-ready MCP server, community growth through mentorship and contributions, and plans to extend the project's data model and cost tracking features."
"In 2025, the OpenCost community delivered 11 releases that enhanced usability and expanded functionality. Notable additions included the ability to run OpenCost without requiring Prometheus by using environment-variable configuration or the beta Collector Datasource, a generic export framework for cost data, and a diagnostics system with health-tracking and export capabilities. OpenCost also improved multi-cloud cost tracking, with contributions from providers such as Oracle and DigitalOcean helping extend support for tracking cloud and multi-cloud metrics."
"A significant milestone in 2025 was the introduction of the OpenCost MCP server, enabling AI agents to query cost data in real-time using natural language. This integration enables the automatic analysis of spending patterns across namespaces, pods, and nodes, allowing teams to generate cost reports and recommendations without manual queries. The MCP server emerged as a default component that outputs clear, step-by-step suggestions for cost optimization, blending cloud cost management with emerging AI ecosystems to meet the needs of more automated FinOps workflows."
OpenCost delivered 11 releases in 2025 that improved usability and extended functionality. The project added the ability to run without requiring Prometheus via environment-variable configuration or the beta Collector Datasource. A generic export framework for cost data and a diagnostics system with health-tracking and export capabilities were introduced. Multi-cloud cost tracking was improved with contributions from providers such as Oracle and DigitalOcean. The AI-ready MCP server enables natural-language queries, automated spending-pattern analysis, and step-by-step cost optimization recommendations. Mentorship through the Linux Foundation's LFX program supported integration tests for enterprise readiness. Plans include extending the data model and cost tracking features in 2026.
#opencost #kubernetes-cost-transparency #ai-mcp-server #multi-cloud-cost-tracking #finops-automation
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