Classic RBE examples

The deployment-examples/ directory in the source has runnable examples for every shape described here. This page is the tour.

Pattern A — Cache-only

Every action runs locally; results land in the shared cache. The fastest pattern to set up because no worker fleet is needed.

[ client ] ── execute locally ─▶ outputs
     │
     └────── upload to ────────▶ [ CAS / AC ]

With Bazel, just point --remote_cache at the cluster:

bazel build //... \
  --remote_cache=grpc://nativelink.internal:50051 \
  --remote_instance_name=main

Use this when:

• You have a single CI environment that builds the same things repeatedly (each commit changes a small subset).
• You want shared caching across developer laptops without setting up workers.
• You're evaluating NativeLink and want to see cache hits before building out the worker plane.

Pattern B — Cache + execution

Actions ship to a worker fleet. The fleet runs them; outputs come back. The cache layer underneath stores everything.

[ client ] ── Execute() ─▶ [ scheduler ] ─▶ [ worker pool ]
                                                 │
                                                 ▼
                                          [ CAS / AC ]

Bazel config:

bazel build //... \
  --remote_cache=grpc://nativelink.internal:50051 \
  --remote_executor=grpc://nativelink.internal:50051 \
  --remote_instance_name=main \
  --jobs=200

The --jobs=200 is the key change — without it Bazel only dispatches as many actions as your laptop has cores. With remote execution, the limiting factor is the worker pool size.

Use this when:

• You want full builds to complete in minutes instead of hours.
• You have a CI fleet you're trying to shrink.
• You want hermetic, reproducible builds across machines.

Pattern C — Hybrid

Local for short actions, remote for everything else. Bazel decides which side runs each action based on policy.

                       ┌──▶ run locally (fast actions)
[ client ] ── policy ──┤
                       └──▶ Execute() ─▶ [ scheduler ] ─▶ workers

Bazel config:

bazel build //... \
  --remote_cache=grpc://nativelink.internal:50051 \
  --remote_executor=grpc://nativelink.internal:50051 \
  --remote_instance_name=main \
  --modify_execution_info=Javac=+no-remote-exec \
  --strategy=Javac=local

This forces all Javac actions local (because for very small files the network round-trip dominates) while everything else goes remote.

Use this when:

• Your workload has a mix of fast and slow actions.
• Network latency to the worker fleet is high enough that small actions are slower remote than local.
• You're tuning a production setup and want fine-grained control.

Comparing patterns

Start with cache-only. Move to full RE when the team feels the local build CPU bottleneck. Move to hybrid only when you have telemetry showing where time goes.

FAQ

What's next

• Nix templates — runnable testbeds for every pattern.
• Configuration → Production — the cluster shape that backs full RE in practice.