# Bazel cache {#bazel-cache}

Tuist exposes a [Remote Execution API](https://github.com/bazelbuild/remote-apis) cache that Bazel connects to as a remote cache. When an action's outputs are already in the cache, Bazel skips the action and pulls the result from Tuist's cache, saving compilation time across your team and CI environments.

## Setup {#setup}

From the root of the Bazel workspace, run:

```bash
tuist bazel setup
```

This writes a `.bazelrc.tuist` file next to your `.bazelrc`, wired to the closest Tuist cache region and authenticated through a per-workspace credential helper. It also adds a `try-import` line to your repository's `.bazelrc`:

```text
try-import %workspace%/.bazelrc.tuist
```

Pass `--no-add-bazelrc-import` if you want to manage the import yourself.

Add `.bazelrc.tuist` to your `.gitignore` and run setup on each machine instead of committing it. The generated file points at an absolute credential-helper path under the current user's Tuist configuration directory and at the cache region closest to the machine that generated it, so neither value transfers to a teammate or a continuous integration runner. Commit the `try-import` line in `.bazelrc`, which is the same on every machine.

Setup leaves an existing `.bazelrc` alone when it cannot find a Bazel workspace marker, when the file is a symbolic link, or when it already configures a remote cache or Build Event Service. That way, running it again is idempotent.

Run a normal Bazel command to verify the integration:

```bash
bazel build //...
```

Cache activity then appears on the project's **Bazel Cache** page in the Tuist dashboard, which shows cache transfer, downloads and uploads, read and write latency, throughput, and the action-cache hit rate. The project **Overview** carries a summary of the same action-cache hit rate alongside build duration.

To see how one command used the cache, open it from **Invocations**. The invocation page separates action-cache lookups from content-object requests, so you can tell a cold action cache apart from a slow artifact download.

## Build insights {#build-insights}

By default, `tuist bazel setup` also configures Bazel's Build Event Service so completed commands appear on the **Invocations** dashboard. See <.localized_link href="/guides/features/build-insights/bazel">Bazel build insights</.localized_link> for what the dashboard shows and how to attach custom metadata.

If you only want the remote cache and would rather not send the build-event stream, opt out with:

```bash
tuist bazel setup --no-build-insights
```

## Continuous integration {#continuous-integration}

Authenticate CI with one of the methods in the <.localized_link href="/guides/server/authentication#continuous-integration">Authentication guide</.localized_link>, then run `tuist bazel setup` once as part of the checkout step so `.bazelrc.tuist` reflects the right region for the runner. See the <.localized_link href="/guides/integrations/continuous-integration">Continuous Integration guide</.localized_link> for provider-specific examples.

## Data retention {#data-retention}

Tuist keeps remote cache observations for 90 days. See <.localized_link href="/guides/server/data-retention">data retention</.localized_link> for the full policy.