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Create Virtual Tag Rules

Turn messy source tags and Kubernetes labels into explainable business dimensions for showback and chargeback — without changing your cloud.

7 min read Updated June 2026Setup
On this page
  1. 01Why virtual tags
  2. 02Define your dimensions
  3. 03Write and preview rules
  4. 04Allocate shared costs
  5. 05Publish showback or chargeback

01

Why virtual tags

Provider tags are rarely complete, and waiting for perfect tagging means waiting forever. Virtual tags let you define business dimensions inside Cloptima from the metadata you already have — no changes to provider-side tags or infrastructure.

02

Define your dimensions

Create the dimensions your organization allocates by.

  • Team, application, environment, owner
  • Cost center, project
  • Namespace and service (for Kubernetes)

03

Write and preview rules

Build rules that map resources to a dimension from source tags, Kubernetes labels, namespaces, account, or naming conventions. Preview which resources each rule matches and why, so attribution is auditable rather than a black box.

04

Allocate shared costs

Distribute pooled costs — platform, network, monitoring, CI/CD — proportionally across teams by usage, headcount, or custom weights, so shared infrastructure isn't left unattributed.

05

Publish showback or chargeback

Start with showback to build trust in the numbers, isolate any unattributed spend, then move to chargeback once ownership is solid.

Put This Guide Into Practice

Cloptima automates the strategies described in this guide.

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