Bazel

Bazel is a fast, scalable build system from Google used for large, multi-language codebases. Its remote caching feature stores build and test action outputs on a shared server so that any machine can skip work that has already been done elsewhere.

Shipfox provides a built-in WebDAV remote cache for Bazel on every runner at $SHIPFOX_BAZEL_URL. The cache is colocated with your runner, so cache reads and writes are fast and reliable without any external dependencies.

How it works

When Bazel executes a build or test action, it computes a fingerprint of the action's inputs (source files, flags, and tools). If a matching entry exists in the remote cache, Bazel downloads the output instead of running the action. Otherwise, it executes normally and uploads the result to the cache.

Shipfox exposes a WebDAV-based remote cache endpoint compatible with Bazel's --remote_cache flag. In automatic mode, the cache URL is written to ~/.bazelrc before your job starts so all Bazel invocations pick it up without any flags.

Automatic setup

When automatic caching is enabled, Shipfox writes the following line to ~/.bazelrc on every runner before your job starts:

build --remote_cache=<shipfox-cache-url>

All bazel build and bazel test commands automatically use the remote cache, with no flags or configuration changes needed.

- name: Build
  run: bazel build //...

- name: Test
  run: bazel test //...

Manual setup

If you want to control the cache configuration yourself, use the $SHIPFOX_BAZEL_URL environment variable exposed on every runner.

Pass the cache URL directly via the --remote_cache flag:

- name: Build
  run: bazel build //... --remote_cache=$SHIPFOX_BAZEL_URL

- name: Test
  run: bazel test //... --remote_cache=$SHIPFOX_BAZEL_URL

Alternatively, write it to your .bazelrc or a project-specific bazel.rc file for a cleaner workflow:

- name: Configure Bazel remote cache
  run: echo "build --remote_cache=$SHIPFOX_BAZEL_URL" >> ~/.bazelrc

- name: Build
  run: bazel build //...