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Usage-Based Pricing
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Real-Time Usage Metering 2025: SaaS Billing Infrastructure

Build real-time metering infrastructure: event capture, aggregation, and billing integration. Scale usage-based pricing without revenue leakage.

July 14, 2025By Michael Rodriguez

Real-time metering is the foundation of accurate usage-based pricing. Learn how to build infrastructure that scales while maintaining billing accuracy.

Metering Architecture Fundamentals

Real-time metering requires event capture, aggregation, and storage. Design for high throughput, low latency, and fault tolerance from the start.

Event Capture Best Practices

Use asynchronous event queues, implement idempotency keys, and validate events at capture time. Never lose usage data - it directly impacts revenue.

Aggregation and Storage

Aggregate events into billable units in real-time. Store raw events for auditing and aggregated data for billing. Use time-series databases for efficiency.

Scaling Considerations

Plan for 10x current volume from day one. Use horizontal scaling, implement rate limiting, and monitor system health continuously.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I build or buy metering infrastructure?

For most companies, buying is faster and cheaper. Build only if metering is core to your competitive advantage or you have unique requirements.

How do I handle metering failures?

Implement redundancy, queue failed events for retry, and alert on anomalies. Never silently drop usage data - it leads to revenue leakage.

Key Takeaways

Investing in robust metering infrastructure pays dividends in billing accuracy, customer trust, and revenue capture.

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