What Is a Dependency Proxy?

A dependency proxy is a pull-through cache that fronts an external registry, such as a container or package registry, and retains what it fetches. Subsequent requests are served from the cache instead of the upstream source. It speeds builds and reduces exposure to upstream rate limits and outages.

Why it matters

CI pipelines repeatedly pull the same base images and packages, which is slow and can hit upstream rate limits. A dependency proxy caches them close to the runners so pulls are fast and resilient to upstream throttling. It also shields builds from transient registry outages.

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