ccache

Why clean ccache?

• A long-lived cache can grow to several gigabytes with old object files from branches, build directories, and compiler versions you no longer use, leaving you with unexplained disk loss on macOS or Linux.
• Entries created before a compiler upgrade or changed warning flags stop matching current hashes, so ccache spends time probing stale records and you notice lower cache hit rates and slower incremental builds.
• Corrupted manifest or result files can turn expected cache hits into repeated recompiles, showing up as build times suddenly regressing even though only a few files changed.
• Old cached objects from abandoned targets and architectures consume space until ccache starts evicting useful recent entries, which users notice as inconsistent build speed from one run to the next.
• If temporary files are left behind after interrupted builds, the cache directory can bloat and filesystem scans during builds may feel slower than expected.
• Shared or heavily reused caches can accumulate many obsolete entries, and the practical symptom is that ccache reports poor effectiveness while still occupying a large amount of storage.
• Large ccache directories often become fragmented on disk, so metadata lookups and cleanup passes take longer and developers notice extra overhead before the next compile even starts.

Common questions about ccache

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