buildkit/docs/compaction.md

Metadata database compaction

BuildKit cache GC removes cache records, but bbolt retains freed pages inside its files for reuse. Compaction copies live data into a smaller file to return unused space to the filesystem. It runs independently of cache GC and covers cache.db, history.db, and the worker databases metadata_v2.db and containerdmeta.db. The optional cache-debug.db and snapshotter-owned snapshots/metadata.db are not included.

Configuration and scheduling

Automatic compaction is disabled by default. Enable it in buildkitd.toml with [compaction].enabled = true. The remaining defaults are:

Setting	Default	Meaning
writesPerCheck	10000	Committed write transactions between automatic eligibility checks.
sizeWatermark	134217728	Initial database size watermark (128 MiB).
sizeGrowthPercent	100	Growth over the compacted size before the next size-triggered check.
minReclaimBytes	268435456	Minimum estimated reclaimable bytes (256 MiB).
minReclaimPercent	25	Minimum estimated reclaimable percentage of the file.
idleTimeout	1m	Required interval without database activity.
maxRetry	3	Attempts that arriving writers may cancel before a copy makes them wait.

The policy checks database size at most every five minutes, after committed writes. Reaching the size watermark makes the database eligible for a reclaimability check. After a successful compaction, the next watermark is the compacted size plus sizeGrowthPercent, with sizeWatermark as the minimum.

Every writesPerCheck committed writes, reclaimability is checked without waiting for the adaptive watermark, while the configured initial watermark remains the minimum file size. This catches space released by deletions when bbolt reuses free pages without growing the file. Idle databases are not polled.

Either reclaimability threshold must be met before compaction becomes pending. Deletion writes can therefore make a database eligible without further file growth. Pending maintenance waits for no active transactions and the configured idle period; reads and writes both count as activity.

Copies are serialized across databases in the daemon. Before copying, the wrapper drains transactions and checks reclaimability and filesystem headroom again. New transactions wait during the copy. Arriving writers cancel automatic attempts up to maxRetry; subsequent attempts let the copy finish while transactions wait. Setting maxRetry = 0 makes the first automatic attempt follow that behavior.

When changed, the write counter and adaptive size watermark are checkpointed beside each database every five minutes and during orderly shutdown.

Manual compaction

The debug HTTP listener provides inspection and streamed manual attempts independently of automatic scheduling. Enabling the listener is sufficient to make these operations available, even with [compaction].enabled = false. Manual attempts bypass writesPerCheck and sizeWatermark but retain the idle period, reclaimability thresholds, and free-space checks. They remain cancellable by arriving writers and never escalate to forced copies.

Operational limits

Automatic copies have no copy deadline after writer-cancellation retries are exhausted, so transaction pauses can be substantial for large live datasets. Continuously active databases may never reach the required idle period. Measure copy duration on representative storage before choosing production settings.

Compaction needs enough free space for a replacement file alongside the original. It cannot by itself recover an already-full volume, reclaim retained live data, or make cache GC account for database files.

Metrics

Compaction uses the daemon's existing OpenTelemetry meter provider. Prometheus metrics are available at /metrics on the debug listener and are also available through configured OpenTelemetry metric exporters. No additional exporter or listener is required.

OpenTelemetry instrument	Type	Unit
buildkit.compaction.attempts	Counter	Attempts
buildkit.compaction.copy.duration	Histogram	Seconds
buildkit.compaction.reclaimed	Counter	Bytes
buildkit.compaction.pending.duration	Gauge	Seconds
buildkit.compaction.database.size	Gauge	Bytes
buildkit.compaction.database.reclaimable	Gauge	Bytes
buildkit.compaction.database.observation.age	Gauge	Seconds

Attempts and copy duration use labels for database path, trigger (automatic or manual), and outcome (completed, skipped, canceled, or failed). Reclaimed bytes use path and trigger. An attempt is counted when the backend is invoked; eligibility checks and requests canceled while waiting are not attempts. Copy duration includes replacement, canceled and failed copies, but excludes waiting and transaction draining. Reclaimed bytes are recorded only when replacement succeeded and the resulting size is known.

The database.path label is relative to the BuildKit state directory, for example cache.db or runc-overlayfs/metadata_v2.db, with forward slashes on all platforms. Absolute paths are not exposed. Databases without a path or outside the state directory use an empty label. Worker databases have separate series. Size and reclaimable gauges report cached observations by database path. Observation age reports the age of those measurements. Unobserved databases contribute no size sample, and closed databases are removed. Pending duration reports the longest current wait by path and trigger, resetting when an attempt starts or its request is canceled.

Collection only reads cached measurements. Policy checks, debug inspection, and attempt completion refresh them without adding per-transaction instrumentation. Sizes can remain unobserved or stale in either mode. Automatic policy checks depend on write activity; inspection and attempt completion also refresh the measurements. Collection does not poll the database or filesystem.

The Prometheus exporter translates instrument names and units, for example buildkit.compaction.database.size becomes buildkit_compaction_database_size_bytes, and database.path becomes database_path.