bazel-remote vs Cachix

bazel-remote is free, Apache-2.0-licensed open-source software that runs as a self-hosted HTTP/1.1 and gRPC server for Bazel remote caching and other REAPI clients. Cache data can stay on disk with a configured maximum size; least recently used files are removed when that limit is reached. Storage backends include S3, Google Cloud Storage, and an experimental Azure Blob Storage proxy. The server exposes HTTP REST endpoints and REAPI v2 ActionCache, ContentAddressableStorage, Capabilities, and Byte Stream services over gRPC. Zstandard-compressed CAS blobs can reduce network use and increase effective cache capacity. Prometheus metrics are available for HTTP and gRPC endpoints. Deployment options include Docker images, Docker Compose, Kubernetes examples, or a standalone Linux binary, including ARM64 Docker deployments such as Raspberry Pi. Authentication supports .htpasswd-style credentials or mutual TLS; LDAP is experimental, and only one mechanism can be active. TLS settings are configurable. The default permits unauthenticated access, so operators must configure protection.

Cachix hosts Nix binary caches so teams can share binaries across CI, development, and deployment environments. Its CLI can push binaries, watch a Nix store, and configure Nix to use a cache. The service says its optimizations speed up cache roundtrips, while Cloudflare CDN provides performance and unlimited bandwidth on all plans. When a cache reaches its storage limit, least-recently-used entries are removed; Cachix says it sends a warning email at 85% of that limit. Documentation includes CI guides for GitHub Actions, Buildkite, CircleCI, GitLab CI, Hercules CI, Hydra, and Travis CI. Cachix Deploy uses a pull model to deploy continuously to Nix profiles such as NixOS, nix-darwin, and Home Manager. Teams can assign read or write access, revoke tokens, and require a token for private cache reads and writes; cache entries are signed. Enterprise options include on-premise or self-hosted deployment, SSO, SLA, dedicated premium support, custom deployment, and audit logs. Cachix offers a free plan and a 14-day trial. Listed Starter, Standard, and Pro plans have prices available by contacting Cachix.