Cache is King: A guide for Docker layer caching in GitHub Actions

Docker layer caching can substantially accelerate GitHub Actions CI builds by reusing filesystem layers created by Dockerfile instructions, especially when Dockerfiles place rarely changing dependencies before frequently updated application code. A basic Buildx-based workflow has no caching by default, but caching can be added through GitHub Actions’ native cache, an inline registry cache, or a separate registry-backed cache. GitHub’s cache is simple to configure with `cache-from` and `cache-to` using the `gha` backend, but its 10 GB repository limit, eviction behavior, and limited sharing make it less suitable for larger projects. Inline registry caching embeds cache data in the published image and enables reuse across systems without GitHub cache limits, though it can enlarge images and only caches final-stage layers in multi-stage builds. A dedicated registry cache stores build artifacts separately, supports caching intermediate multi-stage layers through `mode=max`, and offers additional compression and naming controls, making it the most capable option despite requiring more setup.

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