Skip to content

Page: Gradle remote build cache not working #25

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Closed
fosterstack-admin wants to merge 2 commits into from
Closed

Page: Gradle remote build cache not working #25

Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
2 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
e76ba88
Page: Gradle remote build cache not working
fosterstack-admin Oct 9, 2026
e6d5c5a
Plain-HTTP wording: tested on Gradle 9.8.0, localhost name refused, 1…
fosterstack-admin Oct 9, 2026
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
138 changes: 138 additions & 0 deletions gradle-remote-cache-not-working/index.html
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Gradle remote build cache not working: no FROM-CACHE</title>
<meta name="description" content="Gradle build runs but nothing comes from the remote cache? Six checks: caching switched on, local cache hiding errors, password, URL, server counters, and push settings.">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://fosterstack.com/gradle-remote-cache-not-working/">
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.svg" type="image/svg+xml">
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
<style>
:root {
--bg: #ffffff; --fg: #16181d; --muted: #5b6472; --line: #e4e7ec;
--accent: #0d7a5f; --accent-fg: #ffffff; --card: #f6f8f9; --warn-bg: #fff7ed; --warn-line: #fdba74;
--mark: #0f4d66;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--bg: #101318; --fg: #e8eaf0; --muted: #98a2b3; --line: #262c36;
--accent: #2fbf95; --accent-fg: #08110e; --card: #171c23; --warn-bg: #241a10; --warn-line: #7c4a12;
--mark: #e8eaf0;
}
}
* { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
body {
background: var(--bg); color: var(--fg);
font: 16px/1.6 system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
}
main { max-width: 44rem; margin: 0 auto; padding: 0 1.25rem 4rem; }
header.site { max-width: 44rem; margin: 0 auto; padding: 1.25rem; display: flex; align-items: baseline; gap: .6rem; }
.logo { font-weight: 700; font-size: 1.05rem; letter-spacing: -.01em; }
.logo span { color: var(--accent); }
.logo .mark { width: 1.2em; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: -.24em; margin-right: .4em; }
.tag { color: var(--muted); font-size: .85rem; }
.notice {
background: var(--warn-bg); border: 1px solid var(--warn-line); border-radius: 8px;
padding: .7rem 1rem; font-size: .92rem; margin: 1.5rem 0 2.5rem;
}
h1 { font-size: 2rem; line-height: 1.2; letter-spacing: -.02em; margin-bottom: 1rem; }
.lede { font-size: 1.12rem; color: var(--muted); margin-bottom: 2rem; }
h2 { font-size: 1.25rem; margin: 3rem 0 .9rem; letter-spacing: -.01em; }
p + p { margin-top: .8rem; }
.cards { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(15rem, 1fr)); gap: .8rem; margin-top: 1rem; }
.card { background: var(--card); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 10px; padding: 1rem 1.1rem; }
.card h3 { font-size: .98rem; margin-bottom: .35rem; }
.card p { font-size: .9rem; color: var(--muted); }
ul.trust { list-style: none; margin-top: .5rem; }
ul.trust li { padding: .45rem 0 .45rem 1.6rem; position: relative; }
ul.trust li::before { content: "✓"; position: absolute; left: .2rem; color: var(--accent); font-weight: 700; }
code, pre { font-family: ui-monospace, "SF Mono", Menlo, monospace; font-size: .88em; }
code { background: var(--card); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 5px; padding: .1em .35em; }
pre code { background: none; border: 0; padding: 0; color: inherit; font-size: 1em; }
button {
padding: .7rem 1.3rem; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer;
background: var(--accent); color: var(--accent-fg); border: 0; border-radius: 8px;
}
button:disabled { opacity: .6; cursor: default; }
table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: .92rem; margin-top: 1rem; }
th, td { text-align: left; padding: .55rem .6rem; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line); vertical-align: top; }
th { font-size: .8rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: .04em; color: var(--muted); }
pre { background: #0f172a; color: #e2e8f0; padding: .9rem 1rem; border-radius: 8px;
overflow-x: auto; font-size: .9rem; line-height: 1.5; }
.cta-row { display: flex; gap: .6rem; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-top: 1.1rem; }
.btn { display: inline-block; padding: .55rem 1rem; border-radius: 8px; font-weight: 600;
text-decoration: none; background: var(--accent); color: #fff; }
.btn-secondary { background: transparent; color: inherit; border: 1px solid #cbd5e1; }
.muted-note { color: var(--muted); font-size: .93rem; margin-top: 1.1rem; }
footer { border-top: 1px solid var(--line); margin-top: 4rem; padding: 1.5rem 1.25rem 3rem; }
footer div { max-width: 44rem; margin: 0 auto; color: var(--muted); font-size: .82rem; }
a { color: var(--accent); }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<header class="site">
<div class="logo"><svg class="mark" viewBox="0 0 96 96" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><rect x="12" y="14" width="72" height="18" rx="5" fill="var(--mark)"/><rect x="12" y="39" width="48" height="18" rx="5" fill="var(--mark)"/><rect x="12" y="64" width="26" height="18" rx="5" fill="var(--accent)"/></svg>foster<span>stack</span></div>
<div class="tag">Infrastructure worth keeping — and kept patched.</div>
</header>
<main>
<h1>Gradle remote build cache not working: no FROM-CACHE</h1>
<p class="lede">Your build runs, nothing fails, and nothing comes from the remote cache. Gradle treats a broken remote cache as non-fatal, so it fails quietly. Work down this list.</p>

<h2>1. Is the build cache switched on?</h2>
<p>The <code>buildCache</code> block in <code>settings.gradle(.kts)</code> says where the cache is. It does not turn caching on. Without this line the block does nothing:</p>
<pre><code># gradle.properties
org.gradle.caching=true</code></pre>
<p>Or pass <code>--build-cache</code> on each run. This is the most common cause.</p>

<h2>2. Is the local cache hiding the problem?</h2>
<p>Gradle's local cache is on by default and gives hits even when the remote is failing. So <code>FROM-CACHE</code> on its own does not prove the remote works. Take the local cache out of the picture and show remote errors:</p>
<pre><code>rm -rf ~/.gradle/caches/build-cache-1
./gradlew --stop
./gradlew build --build-cache -i</code></pre>
<p>Run it twice. The second run is the one that tells you something.</p>

<h2>3. Is the password reaching Gradle?</h2>
<p>If the server uses a password and Gradle sends none, every request gets a 401, silently. Two things to check:</p>
<ul class="trust">
<li>Keep a <code>credentials</code> block in the config. A server with no password ignores it, so one config works everywhere.</li>
<li>Gradle's background daemon reads its environment once, when it starts. A password you exported weeks ago can stop working after a reboot. Run <code>./gradlew --stop</code>, or put the password in <code>~/.gradle/gradle.properties</code> (never in the repo).</li>
</ul>
<p>To test the server's password directly, a 401 means the credentials are wrong and a 404 means they are right and the key just is not there yet:</p>
<pre><code>curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' -u gradle:wrong-password \
https://cache.example.com/some-key</code></pre>

<h2>4. Is the URL right, and is it HTTPS?</h2>
<p>Keep the trailing slash on the URL. Gradle adds the cache key straight onto it. Gradle also refuses plain <code>http://</code> unless you set <code>isAllowInsecureProtocol = true</code>. In our test with Gradle 9.8.0, the address <code>127.0.0.1</code> was allowed without it, but the name <code>localhost</code> was refused. Use HTTPS in real deployments, because Gradle sends the password with every request.</p>
<p>One trap in test setups: some sample projects run a check that fails any build containing an <code>http://</code> URL, including the cache URL. That is the check, not the cache.</p>

<h2>5. Is the server seeing requests?</h2>
<pre><code>curl -s https://cache.example.com/metrics | grep -E 'fscache_cache_(hits|misses)_total'</code></pre>
<p>Run a build and run this again. If neither counter moves, the requests are not arriving. If misses move and hits do not, the cache is working and has not been filled yet, or something in the task inputs changes on every build.</p>

<h2>6. Is this client allowed to upload?</h2>
<p>If you set <code>isPush</code> to false, or only to true on CI, a laptop only reads. Nothing fills the cache until a machine that may upload has run the build.</p>

<h2>Not the same thing: the configuration cache</h2>
<p>Gradle may suggest enabling its "configuration cache". That is a different, local feature. It has nothing to do with a remote build cache.</p>

<div class="cta-row">
<a class="btn" href="/migrate-build-cache-node/">Gradle and Maven setup</a>
<a class="btn btn-secondary" href="/build-cache-node-faq/">Questions and answers</a>
</div>
</main>
<footer>
<div>
<p>FosterStack is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Gradle Inc.
"Gradle" and "Develocity" are trademarks of Gradle Inc., used here only to identify
compatibility. FosterStack contains no Gradle Inc. code; it is a clean-room implementation
of the documented remote build cache HTTP protocol. Apache Maven is a trademark of the
Apache Software Foundation; the Maven Build Cache Extension is Apache's project, not
ours.</p>
<p style="margin-top:.6rem">© 2026 FosterStack · <a href="/regulated/">For regulated markets</a> · <a href="https://github.com/fosterstack/cache">github.com/fosterstack/cache</a> · <a href="mailto:hello@fosterstack.com">hello@fosterstack.com</a></p>
</div>
</footer>
</body>
</html>
4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions sitemap.xml
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -16,4 +16,8 @@
<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
<priority>1.0</priority>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://fosterstack.com/gradle-remote-cache-not-working/</loc>
<lastmod>2026-10-08</lastmod>
</url>
</urlset>
Loading