Understanding Error Budget Consumed
How we calculate. Allowed downtime = period × (1 − SLO/100); consumed % = downtime ÷ allowed × 100. The form uses the same arithmetic as the worked examples on this page. See our methodology and accuracy policy.
Real-world scenario: A typical Error Budget Consumed case uses slo (%) 99.9 and period length 43200. Enter the same figures below to reproduce the worked path.
What is Error Budget Consumed?
SRE planning metric. Over 100% means you have exhausted the budget for the period.
- SLO is availability target (e.g. 99.9)
- Period and downtime same unit
- >100% = budget exhausted
The Formula
Worked Example
Common Use Cases
- Release freezes: budget gates
- SRE reviews: burn rate narrative
- Multi-service SLOs: compare burn
Pro Tips
- Align downtime with SLO filter
- Track remaining % as 100 − consumed
- Use rolling windows when contracts require
Limitations: Error Budget Consumed results are educational DevOps/FinOps planning aids—not SLAs or billing guarantees. Confirm definitions with your platform and finance policies.
FAQ
What if SLO is 100%?
Allowed downtime is 0—any downtime means infinite/undefined budget math. Use SLO < 100.
Minutes or hours?
Any unit works if period and downtime match.
Authoritative References
For DORA and FinOps definitions, consult:
- DORA — Four Keys research and definitions
- Google SRE books — SLOs and error budgets
- FinOps Foundation — cloud cost practices