boringcache/restore

Cache once. Reuse everywhere.

BoringCache is a universal build artifact cache for CI, Docker, and local development. It stores and restores directories you choose so build outputs, dependencies, and tool caches can be reused across environments.

BoringCache does not run builds and is not tied to any build tool. It works with any language, framework, or workflow by caching directories explicitly selected by the user.

Caches are content-addressed and verified before restore. If identical content already exists, uploads are skipped. The same cache can be reused in GitHub Actions, Docker/BuildKit, and on developer machines using the same CLI.

This action provides explicit restore steps for workflows that need precise control over when caches are read. If you want automatic restore at job start and save at job end, use boringcache/action instead.

Quick start

- uses: boringcache/restore@v1
  with:
    workspace: my-org/my-project
    entries: deps:node_modules
  env:
    BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN }}

Entries use tag:path format (for example, deps:node_modules).

Mental model

This action restores directories you explicitly choose.

• You decide what is expensive (dependencies, build outputs, toolchains)
• BoringCache fingerprints the directory contents
• If the content matches an existing cache, it is restored
• You decide what to do on a cache miss (install, build, etc.)

This action does not infer what should be cached and does not modify your build.

Common patterns

Simple CI cache (conditional install)

- uses: boringcache/restore@v1
  id: cache
  with:
    workspace: my-org/my-project
    entries: deps:node_modules
  env:
    BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN }}

- run: npm ci
  if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'

Advanced pattern: Restore + save pair

- uses: boringcache/restore@v1
  id: cache
  with:
    workspace: my-org/my-project
    entries: deps:node_modules
  env:
    BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN }}

- run: npm ci

- uses: boringcache/save@v1
  with:
    workspace: my-org/my-project
    entries: deps:node_modules
  env:
    BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN }}

Inputs

Input	Required	Default	Description
workspace	No	repo name	Workspace in org/repo form. Defaults to BORINGCACHE_DEFAULT_WORKSPACE or repo name.
entries	No	-	Comma-separated tag:path pairs. Required unless using actions/cache-compatible inputs.
path	No	-	Files/directories to restore (actions/cache compatible).
key	No	-	Cache key (actions/cache compatible).
restore-keys	No	-	Fallback restore keys (actions/cache compatible).
enableCrossOsArchive	No	false	Enable cross-OS sharing by disabling platform suffixes (actions/cache compatibility).
no-platform	No	false	Disable OS/arch scoping for cache tags.
fail-on-cache-miss	No	false	Fail if cache is not found.
lookup-only	No	false	Check cache existence without downloading.
verbose	No	false	Enable detailed output.

Outputs

Output	Description
cache-hit	true if an exact match was found
cache-primary-key	Key used for restore
cache-matched-key	Key that matched

Platform behavior

Platform scoping is what makes it safe to reuse caches across machines.

By default, caches are isolated by OS and architecture. Use no-platform: true or enableCrossOsArchive: true only for portable artifacts (sources, lockfiles).

Environment variables

Variable	Description
BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN	API token (required)
BORINGCACHE_DEFAULT_WORKSPACE	Default workspace (if not specified in inputs)

Migrating from actions/cache/restore (optional)

- uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+ uses: boringcache/restore@v1
+ env:
+   BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN }}

Troubleshooting

• Unauthorized or workspace not found: ensure BORINGCACHE_API_TOKEN is set and the workspace exists.
• Cache miss: check workspace and entries, and remember platform scoping.
• Cache hit detection: rely on the cache-hit output rather than CLI exit codes.

Release notes

See https://github.com/boringcache/restore/releases.

License

MIT