Getting started with usage-based billing

Usage-based billing lets you charge customers based on what they consume: API calls, transactions, storage, compute hours, seats, AI usage, or another measurable activity. In Hyperline, the setup has four building blocks:

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Before you start

Make sure you have:

• A customer to test with, or permission to create one in Customers
• A usage metric you want to bill, such as API calls, processed transactions, or storage volume
• Usage data available through one of the supported ingestion methods
• A test mode workspace if you want to experiment before billing real customers

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Setup flow

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1. Connect usage data

Hyperline needs usage events before it can calculate a usage-based charge. Choose the ingestion method that matches where your usage data already lives: For each event, Hyperline needs enough information to identify the customer, event type, timestamp, and usage properties you want to bill or filter on.

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2. Create an aggregator

Go to Usage > Aggregators, then click New aggregator. An aggregator defines how Hyperline turns raw events into a billable number. Configure:

• Event type: the event category to measure, such as api_call, transaction, or storage_snapshot
• Operation: how the metric is calculated
• Unit name: the label shown in usage charts, prices, invoices, and the customer portal
• Filters: optional rules that include only matching events

Learn more in Aggregators.

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3. Create a usage product

Go to Products, click New product, then choose Usage. When configuring the product:

1. Add the product name and description.
2. Select the aggregator you created.
3. Configure at least one recurring price.
4. Choose the pricing model and tiers that match your commercial offer.
5. Save the product.

For a simple first setup, use one recurring price with a straightforward rate. You can add advanced pricing later, such as volume tiers, basis points, or price-level metering filters.

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4. Add the product to a subscription

Once the usage product has a recurring price, assign it to a customer subscription.

1. Open the customer page.
2. Click Actions > Assign new subscription, or go to Subscriptions and click New subscription.
3. Select the customer and subscription start date.
4. Click Add product and select the usage product.
5. Review the product price, billing interval, and metering settings.
6. Open Payment settings.
7. For testing, choose Manually later so the subscription can be created without collecting payment immediately.
8. Click Assign subscription.

After the subscription is assigned, Hyperline starts tracking usage for the product based on the subscription’s metering period.

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5. Check usage and invoices

After events are connected and the subscription is active, validate the setup from the customer page:

• Open the customer’s Usage tab to see current aggregator consumption.
• Open the customer’s Subscriptions tab to review usage on the active subscription.
• Click Explore or the usage detail icon to inspect the events behind the total.
• Open the customer’s Invoices tab to check the open invoice preview for the current period.

An open invoice is a live preview. For usage-based subscriptions, it updates as new events are recorded. At the end of the billing period, the invoice enters the configured grace period before it is finalized and sent for payment.

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Common first checks

If the subscription does not show the usage you expect, check these items first:

• The event timestamps fall inside the subscription’s current metering period.
• The event type matches the aggregator’s Event type.
• The event belongs to the same customer as the subscription.
• The aggregator filters do not exclude the events.
• The usage product is included in an active subscription.

For more invoice behavior details, see Invoice terms.

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Next steps