What is NativeLink?
NativeLink is an efficient, high-performance build cache and remote execution system that accelerates software compilation and testing while reducing infrastructure costs. It optimizes build processes for projects of all sizes by intelligently caching build artifacts and distributing tasks across multiple machines.NativeLink is trusted in production environments to reduce costs and developer iteration times—handling over one billion requests per month for its customers, including large corporations such as Samsung.
Key features
Advanced build cache
Stores and reuses results of previous build steps for unchanged components, significantly reducing build times for incremental changes.
Efficient remote execution
Distributes build and test tasks across a network of machines, parallelizing workloads for faster completion.
Remote resources
Utilizes remote resources to offload computational burden from local machines while ensuring consistency with a uniform, controlled build environment.
Broad compatibility
Seamlessly integrates with build tools that use the Remote Execution protocol, such as Bazel, Buck2, Goma, and Reclient.
Platform support
NativeLink supports:- Operating systems: Unix-based systems (Linux, macOS) and Windows
- Build tools: Bazel, Buck2, Goma, Reclient, and other Remote Execution API compatible tools
- Deployment: Docker, Kubernetes, bare metal, and cloud platforms
Get started
Choose your path to get started with NativeLink:Quickstart
Get NativeLink running with Docker in under 5 minutes.
Installation
Explore all installation methods including Docker, Nix, and building from source.
Configuration
Learn how to configure NativeLink for your use case.
Integration
Integrate NativeLink with your build tools.
Why NativeLink?
Performance at scale
NativeLink is designed to handle massive build workloads efficiently. Its architecture supports:- Intelligent caching: Only rebuild what changed
- Parallel execution: Distribute work across workers
- Fast I/O: Optimized storage backends including filesystem, S3, and Redis
- Low latency: Minimal overhead for cache hits
Production-ready
NativeLink is battle-tested in production environments:- Handles over 1 billion requests per month
- Used by enterprise customers including Samsung
- Active development and community support
- Comprehensive monitoring and observability
Open source
NativeLink is licensed under the Functional Source License (FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0), which converts to Apache 2.0 after two years. This ensures:- Full source code transparency
- Community contributions welcome
- Long-term Apache 2.0 compatibility
- Commercial-friendly licensing
Architecture overview
NativeLink consists of several key components:Content Addressable Storage (CAS)
Stores build artifacts, inputs, and outputs using content-addressed storage for efficient deduplication.
Action Cache (AC)
Caches the results of build actions to avoid redundant work when inputs haven’t changed.
Scheduler
Distributes build and test tasks to available workers based on platform requirements and resource availability.
Learn more
Core concepts
Understand the architecture and design principles behind NativeLink.
Deployment
Deploy NativeLink in your environment.
Operations
Monitor and maintain your NativeLink deployment.
Contributing
Join the community and contribute to NativeLink.
Community and support
GitHub
View the source code, report issues, and contribute.
Slack
Join the community Slack for discussions and support.
Website
Visit the official NativeLink website.
Watch the intro video
NativeLink explained in 90 seconds.