Universal Cache

Universal Cache is a caching platform for the whole build lifecycle, delivered by Develocity Edge.

Feature overview

Universal Cache

Universal Cache delivers a unified cache for the whole build — Artifact Cache for dependencies, Setup Cache for configuration, Build Cache for build outputs. Develocity Edge serves all cached content close to your CI agents, and build data never leaves your network. One deployment, one access and provenance model, one observability layer — replacing a stack of single-purpose tools, built to scale as AI drives build volume higher.

Works great with

Cached content served close to every build

Develocity Edge nodes run as a container, a JAR, or inside your Kubernetes cluster, next to your CI agents — so all cached content is served at LAN speed.
You choose where cached content lives — from fully managed to self-hosted, where build data never leaves your network. Develocity coordinates the Edge either way.
A new Edge node has immediate access to everything already cached — nearby nodes peer, and content replicates across Edge locations, so every build benefits whichever node it hits.

Build Scan remote-cache view showing a Develocity cache with Edge discovery enabled and located in Oregon, recording 536 cache hits serving 265 MiB against 7 misses for the build.

No build repeats work already done

Artifact Cache and Setup Cache restore dependencies and configuration around the build, while Build Cache restores build outputs during it.
Caching runs on every build automatically — no per-build wiring, nothing to maintain as projects change.
RoadmapThe same mechanism is built to cache more of what your builds and pipelines repeat over time — like security and quality scan results.

GitHub Actions job log showing Develocity Artifact Cache Restore and Store steps wrapping an unmodified Gradle build.

Replace single-purpose infrastructure with one deployment

One deployment replaces an artifact proxy, a CI workspace cache, and a build cache — three separate vendors, three separate dashboards, no shared context.
A new build site or region needs no cache stack of its own — it joins the same deployment, served by a local Edge node.
Every operation lands in a Build Scan, so Universal Cache keeps and serves only what builds use — less stored, less transferred, faster builds; a generic cache runs blind.
As AI agents multiply build volume, repository charges and runner minutes compound — covering all phases keeps build times and costs predictable.

Develocity Edge administration panel showing active Edge nodes across regions serving one shared cache.

Observability

See the impact of caching on build performance in one place

Every Build Scan shows Universal Cache at work in that build — what it restored, what it missed, and the time it saved.
Develocity Analytics trends how well Universal Cache performs across the organization, turning a quiet regression into an attributable, fixable event.
Trace a slow build straight to the input that isn't cached — one caching layer keeps the trail intact instead of scattering it across separate tools and dashboards.

Develocity Performance dashboard showing avoidance savings, Build Cache overhead, and dependency-download time across an organization's builds — cache effectiveness in one place.

Governance

Every cached artifact has a verifiable origin

Trace any cached artifact to its origin — the Build Scan records where it came from, how it was fetched, and the build that produced it.
Every artifact the cache serves provably originates from a trusted source — Artifact Governance prevents unapproved copies of artifacts from entering the cache.
RoadmapWhen a new CVE makes an artifact violate one of your policies, Policy Scan reports it and the cache drops the entry — so the violating version is never served again.