Cached Build
Cached Build is a software development practice that stores intermediate build artifacts (like compiled code, dependencies, or test results) to reuse in subsequent builds, avoiding redundant work. It speeds up build times by skipping previously completed steps when source files haven't changed, commonly implemented in CI/CD pipelines and local development environments. This approach relies on dependency tracking and cache invalidation to ensure correctness while optimizing performance.
Developers should use Cached Build to accelerate development cycles, especially in large projects with frequent builds or complex dependencies, as it reduces wait times from minutes to seconds. It's essential for CI/CD systems to improve efficiency and resource usage, and for local development to enable faster iterations and testing. Specific use cases include monorepos, microservices architectures, and projects with heavy compilation or dependency resolution steps.