The Complexity Cost Calculator API measures organizational sync tax — the hidden overhead that coordination and coupling impose on engineering velocity.
Authentication
All endpoints (except /v1/health) require an API key. Pass it via the X-API-Key header:
curl -H "X-API-Key: cc_abc123def456..." https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com/v1/calculate ...
Get your free API key at your account page. No credit card required for the Free plan.
Parameters
Every parameter is a JSON field in the request body. Below is what each one means, where to find it, and how to determine its value.
connascence_degree number required
A measure of coupling between your software components. Higher values mean tighter coupling — changes in one component are more likely to break others.
Where to get it: Run a connascence audit on your codebase. Tools like connascence (Python), jqassistant, or manual architecture review can help determine coupling levels. Typical range is 1 (loose) to 10 (extremely tight).
n_authors integer required
The number of contributors who typically touch a single feature. More authors means more handoffs and coordination.
Where to get it: Check your version control history. Look at the average number of unique committers per feature or per sprint. Your git log (git shortlog -sn) or GitHub Insights contributor graphs are good sources.
n_teams integer required
The number of distinct teams that need to coordinate to deliver a feature. This includes upstream, downstream, and cross-functional teams.
Where to get it: Look at your team topology. How many teams touch the same codebase? How many teams are in the dependency chain for a typical feature delivery? Your org chart or squads listing is the starting point.
dept_size integer required
The total headcount of the department or organization that the teams belong to. Larger orgs create more coordination surface area even with the same number of teams.
Where to get it: Your HR system or org chart. This is the total number of people in your engineering organization (or the relevant department).
vacuum_effort number required
Weekly hours of uninterrupted, individual work your team can dedicate to actual feature delivery. This excludes meetings, code reviews, context switching, and other coordination activities.
Where to get it: Time-tracking data, calendar analysis, or surveys. A common starting point is 20–25 hours per week per developer after subtracting meetings, admin, and overhead from 40 hours.
hourly_rate number optional
The fully-loaded cost per hour for your engineering team (salary + benefits + tools + overhead). Required to get dollar-amount projections in the response.
Where to get it: Your finance team or average engineering cost data. A typical range is $75–$200/hr depending on location and seniority.
features_per_year integer optional
How many features or meaningful deliverables your team ships per year. Used to scale the per-feature cost into an annual projection. Defaults to 20 if not provided.
Where to get it: Your product roadmap history or delivery tracking. How many epics, features, or releases did your team ship in the last 12 months?
Endpoints
Base URL: https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com
X-API-Key header.Examples
Basic calculation
A medium-sized SaaS team with moderate coupling:
curl -X POST https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com/v1/calculate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-API-Key: your-key-here" \
-d '{
"connascence_degree": 4,
"n_authors": 8,
"n_teams": 3,
"dept_size": 120,
"vacuum_effort": 40
}'
Response:
{
"sync_tax_multiplier": 2.70,
"formula_breakdown": { ... },
"parameters": {
"connascence_degree": 4,
"vacuum_effort": 40
}
}
With cost projections
Add hourly_rate and features_per_year to get dollar amounts:
curl -X POST https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com/v1/calculate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-API-Key: your-key-here" \
-d '{
"connascence_degree": 4,
"n_authors": 8,
"n_teams": 3,
"dept_size": 120,
"vacuum_effort": 40,
"hourly_rate": 75,
"features_per_year": 80
}'
Response includes per-feature and annual cost breakdown:
{
"sync_tax_multiplier": 2.70,
"per_feature": {
"vacuum_effort_hours": 40,
"total_hours": 108,
"sync_tax_cost_usd": 5100,
"total_cost_usd": 8100
},
"annual_projection": {
"features_per_year": 80,
"sync_tax_waste_usd": 408000,
"total_cost_usd": 648000
}
}
High coupling, large org
A healthcare organization with heavy compliance overhead:
curl -X POST https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com/v1/calculate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-API-Key: your-key-here" \
-d '{
"connascence_degree": 7,
"n_authors": 15,
"n_teams": 5,
"dept_size": 300,
"vacuum_effort": 25
}'
Low coupling, small team
A dev tools startup with minimal coordination:
curl -X POST https://api.complexity-cost-calculator.beamercloud.com/v1/calculate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-API-Key: your-key-here" \
-d '{
"connascence_degree": 1,
"n_authors": 2,
"n_teams": 1,
"dept_size": 10,
"vacuum_effort": 35
}'
Rate Limits
| Plan | Requests / Day | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | $0 |
| Pro | 10,000 | $29/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contact |
Rate limits reset at midnight UTC. The X-RateLimit-Remaining response header shows remaining requests. Visit your account to view usage and upgrade.