Inputs

HTTPS outcall pricing bench

The estimated cost of an HTTPS outcall is computed from the following inputs.

Subnet

NodesN

The number of nodes on the subnet. May be determined via the new ic0.subnet_self_node_count system API. The base fee, the gossip fee and the consensus fee all scale with N, so an outcall grows at least quadratically in subnet size.

Request Both models

Request bytesurl+headers+body+transform

Max response bytesmax_response_bytes

Legacy prices the reserved ceiling, max_response_bytes, whether or not you use it. Pay-as-you-go prices the bytes that actually arrive.

Actual usage Pay-as-you-go

Downloaded bytesraw_response_bytes

Round-trip timems

Transform instructions

Transformed bytesafter the transform

Liveness Who gets billed

Replicas that never reportrefunded in full

Flexible committee Flexible only

Committee sizetotal_requests

Requiredmin_responses

Capmax_responses

The most responses a flexible block will carry. It bounds what can be delivered, and so bounds K. Set it to zero for a fire-and-forget outcall: no response is ever delivered, so the consensus fee disappears entirely.

Delivered in blockK

How many responses the block actually ends up carrying, somewhere between min_responses and max_responses. This drives the charge, not the quote, because the quote has to assume the whole committee.

The replica enforces min_responses ≤ max_responses ≤ total_requests ≤ N. K is how many responses the block actually carries, so it drives the charge, not the quote.

HTTPS outcalls

Two ways to price an HTTPS outcall.

The legacy fee is charged in full and up front. Pay-as-you-go quotes a canister one number, withholds it, and gives back whatever the outcall did not spend. This bench computes all three figures from the same inputs.

§ 01

Side by side

One request, three prices, three replication modes

Every card prices the same outcall for different replication modes: same bytes, same round trip, same transform, under the legacy formula and under pay-as-you-go.

Legacy fee, charged in full up front Pay-as-you-go, recommended to attach Pay-as-you-go, likely charged after refund

§ 02

Composition

Where the cycles go

Pay-as-you-go splits a request's price into an up-front base fee, per-replica usage fees accounted as the outcall runs, and the consensus cost of putting the answer in a block. Only the last two can differ between the quote and the charge.

Recommended Likely charged

§ 03

The spread

Why the quote sits above the bill

§ 04

Consequences

What the number buys, and where it runs out