Incremental Builds
Avoid building everything from scratch using Docker Layer Caching. Accelerate build times by 30-40% with smart caching for Gradle, Bazel, Maven, Docker layers, and dependencies.
Both optimizations work automatically — no cache key configuration, no complex YAML. Enable them in one click and watch your build times drop.
Incremental compilation for Bazel, Gradle, and other build systems. Harness caches the outputs of unchanged build targets between runs — so only code that actually changed gets compiled.
Remote cache shared across the entire team — not just per-branch
Works with Bazel, Gradle, and other build systems that support remote caching
Cache invalidation is handled automatically — no stale builds
1-click automatic caching for software dependencies and Docker layers. Harness detects your package manager and caches its directory — no cache key expressions, no manual paths.
Supports npm, pip, Maven, Gradle, Yarn, Go modules, and more
Docker layer caching across builds and branches
Cache shared across all pipelines using the same dependencies
api-service · Build #2241 · Cold vs. Warm
Cold build (no cache)
Warm build (with Harness Intelligence)
Traditional CI tools rebuild everything from scratch on every run. Even if 39 of your 42 modules are identical, they compile again. Build Intelligence tracks what changed and only recompiles those targets.
Cache is shared across the entire team — not just per-branch. If a colleague already compiled the same artifact, your build skips it entirely.
Harness automatically detects your build system and configures the remote cache. No Bazel RC files, no Gradle settings — just enable and go.
Build Intelligence handles compilation outputs. Docker Layer Caching handles dependencies. Together, they eliminate most of the wait.
Enable with one click. Harness detects your package manager and caches the right directories automatically.
JavaScript / Node.js
node_modules
Python
~/.cache/pip
Java
~/.m2/repository
Java / Android
~/.gradle/caches
Go
~/go/pkg/mod
Ruby
vendor/bundle
All
Layer-by-layer caching
Rust
~/.cargo/registry
“By moving to Harness Cloud, builds accelerated and those infrastructure costs were cut by 76%, saving over $80,000 annually.”
Engineering Team
Burst SMS
Build Intelligence and Docker Layer Caching are available in all Harness CI plans. No configuration required — enable and start saving time immediately.