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Buildfarm vs zccache

Both stand on build cache software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Buildfarm

Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted

Choose Buildfarm if you need a self-hosted Remote Execution API stack with configurable storage, workers, and execution controls. Its key operational requirements are a backplane and local worker storage; deployments considering FuseCAS should account for its experimental reliability limitation.

Visit Buildfarm

zccache

Free plan APILinuxMac+2

Choose zccache if your C, C++, or Rust workflow uses a supported build system and you want a free local cache or GitHub Actions caching. Look elsewhere if you need CUDA/nvcc support, full MSVC support, a listed distributed cache backend, or remote execution.

Visit zccache

The facts

Buildfarmzccache
Free planNot publishedYes
Open sourceNot publishedNot published
Runs onAPI, Linux, Self-hostedAPI, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid planNot publishedNot published
Plans publishedNoneNone
MakerNot publishedNot published
Websitebuildfarm.github.iogithub.com
On build cache software#22 of 23#18 of 23

Buildfarm: what it does well

  • Implements remote caching and asynchronous action execution.
  • Compatible with Bazel, Buck2, and Pants.
  • Workers can combine execution and CAS shard roles.
  • Offers multiple documented CAS storage options.
  • Supports sandbox controls and Linux cgroups.

What to know first

  • Requires a backplane for cluster-wide information.
  • Each worker requires local filesystem storage.
  • Cgroups resource limits require Linux support.
  • FuseCAS is experimental and may be unreliable under substantial load.

zccache: what it does well

  • Free and open source under AGPL-3.0-only.
  • Supports C, C++, Rust, and Emscripten builds.
  • Integrates with Ninja, CMake, Meson, Make, and Cargo.
  • GitHub Action includes compilation and Cargo registry cache layers.
  • Installers and packages cover several platforms and ecosystems.

What to know first

  • CUDA/nvcc is unsupported.
  • MSVC cl.exe/link.exe support is partial.
  • S3, cloud object storage, Redis, and Memcached are unsupported.
  • Target snapshot caching is off by default.

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