/turborepo-caching

name: turborepo-caching
description: Configure Turborepo for efficient monorepo builds with local and remote caching. Use when setting up Turborepo, optimizing build pipelines, or implementing distributed caching.

Turborepo Caching

Production patterns for Turborepo build optimization.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up new Turborepo projects
• Configuring build pipelines
• Implementing remote caching
• Optimizing CI/CD performance
• Migrating from other monorepo tools
• Debugging cache misses

Core Concepts

1. Turborepo Architecture

Workspace Root/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/
│   │   └── package.json
│   └── docs/
│       └── package.json
├── packages/
│   ├── ui/
│   │   └── package.json
│   └── config/
│       └── package.json
├── turbo.json
└── package.json

2. Pipeline Concepts

| Concept | Description | | -------------- | -------------------------------- | | **dependsOn** | Tasks that must complete first | | **cache** | Whether to cache outputs | | **outputs** | Files to cache | | **inputs** | Files that affect cache key | | **persistent** | Long-running tasks (dev servers) |

Templates

Template 1: turbo.json Configuration

{
  "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json",
  "globalDependencies": [".env", ".env.local"],
  "globalEnv": ["NODE_ENV", "VERCEL_URL"],
  "pipeline": {
    "build": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "outputs": ["dist/**", ".next/**", "!.next/cache/**"],
      "env": ["API_URL", "NEXT_PUBLIC_*"]
    },
    "test": {
      "dependsOn": ["build"],
      "outputs": ["coverage/**"],
      "inputs": ["src/**/*.tsx", "src/**/*.ts", "test/**/*.ts"]
    },
    "lint": {
      "outputs": [],
      "cache": true
    },
    "typecheck": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "outputs": []
    },
    "dev": {
      "cache": false,
      "persistent": true
    },
    "clean": {
      "cache": false
    }
  }
}

Template 2: Package-Specific Pipeline

// apps/web/turbo.json
{
  "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json",
  "extends": ["//"],
  "pipeline": {
    "build": {
      "outputs": [".next/**", "!.next/cache/**"],
      "env": ["NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL", "NEXT_PUBLIC_ANALYTICS_ID"]
    },
    "test": {
      "outputs": ["coverage/**"],
      "inputs": ["src/**", "tests/**", "jest.config.js"]
    }
  }
}

Template 3: Remote Caching with Vercel

# Login to Vercel
npx turbo login

# Link to Vercel project
npx turbo link

# Run with remote cache
turbo build --remote-only

# CI environment variables
TURBO_TOKEN=your-token
TURBO_TEAM=your-team

# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:

env:
  TURBO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.TURBO_TOKEN }}
  TURBO_TEAM: ${{ vars.TURBO_TEAM }}

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: "npm"

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build
        run: npx turbo build --filter='...[origin/main]'

      - name: Test
        run: npx turbo test --filter='...[origin/main]'

Template 4: Self-Hosted Remote Cache

// Custom remote cache server (Express)
import express from "express";
import { createReadStream, createWriteStream } from "fs";
import { mkdir } from "fs/promises";
import { join } from "path";

const app = express();
const CACHE_DIR = "./cache";

// Get artifact
app.get("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => {
  const { hash } = req.params;
  const team = req.query.teamId || "default";
  const filePath = join(CACHE_DIR, team, hash);

  try {
    const stream = createReadStream(filePath);
    stream.pipe(res);
  } catch {
    res.status(404).send("Not found");
  }
});

// Put artifact
app.put("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => {
  const { hash } = req.params;
  const team = req.query.teamId || "default";
  const dir = join(CACHE_DIR, team);
  const filePath = join(dir, hash);

  await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });

  const stream = createWriteStream(filePath);
  req.pipe(stream);

  stream.on("finish", () => {
    res.json({
      urls: [`${req.protocol}://${req.get("host")}/v8/artifacts/${hash}`],
    });
  });
});

// Check artifact exists
app.head("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => {
  const { hash } = req.params;
  const team = req.query.teamId || "default";
  const filePath = join(CACHE_DIR, team, hash);

  try {
    await fs.access(filePath);
    res.status(200).end();
  } catch {
    res.status(404).end();
  }
});

app.listen(3000, "127.0.0.1");

// turbo.json for the local cache demo
{
  "remoteCache": {
    "signature": false
  }
}

# This local demo does not authenticate the dummy token.
# Use only disposable artifacts on a trusted machine; do not expose the server.
turbo build --api="http://127.0.0.1:3000" --token="my-token" --team="my-team"

Template 5: Filtering and Scoping

# Build specific package
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web

# Build package and its dependencies
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web...

# Build package and its dependents
turbo build --filter=...@myorg/ui

# Build changed packages since main
turbo build --filter='...[origin/main]'

# Build packages in directory
turbo build --filter='./apps/*'

# Combine filters
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web --filter=@myorg/docs

# Exclude package
turbo build --filter='!@myorg/docs'

# Include dependencies of changed
turbo build --filter='...[HEAD^1]...'

Template 6: Advanced Pipeline Configuration

{
  "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json",
  "pipeline": {
    "build": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "outputs": ["dist/**"],
      "inputs": ["$TURBO_DEFAULT$", "!**/*.md", "!**/*.test.*"]
    },
    "test": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "outputs": ["coverage/**"],
      "inputs": ["s