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Binary caching troubleshooting guide

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This guide is intended for users experiencing issues with binary caching.

Enable vcpkg debugging information

It is highly recommended that you enable debug output when following this guide.

  • Classic mode: add --debug to your command invocation.
  • CMake toolchain: add -DVCPKG_INSTALL_OPTIONS="--debug" in your CMake configure call or in your CMakePresets.json file.
  • MSBuild/Visual Studio: set the property VcpkgAdditionalInstallOptions to --debug.
  • Set the VCPKG_INSTALL_OPTIONS environment variable to --debug.

NuGet push to {url} fails

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

When using a NuGet binary source the following error appears:

Pushing NuGet to {url} failed. Use --debug for more information.

When using a NuGet config file binary source the following error appears:

Pushing NuGet config to {url} failed. Use --debug for more information.

This error arises when vcpkg attempts and fails to use the NuGet command line to upload packages to a NuGet feed.

Cause 1: Insufficient user write permissions

You encounter the following error message:

System.Net.Http.HttpRequestException: Response status code does not indicate success: 403 (Forbidden - User <user> lacks permission to complete this action. You need to have 'AddPackage'.

Push was rejected by remote source because the user does not have sufficient write permissions.

  • Confirm that your user or user group has write permissions. In NuGet, the user must be at least a Contributor role to the feed.

Cause 2: Misconfigured NuGet Feed url

You might see the error:

System.Net.Http.HttpRequestException: Response status code does not indicate success: 405 (Method Not Allowed).

The server rejected NuGet's push request because it did not recognize the request method.

  • Verify that the URI in your binary source is correct and that it directs to the service index of the feed, typically <feed base url>/nuget/v3/index.json.

Additional NuGet Resources

Consult the NuGet documentation for guidelines on connecting to and publishing on a NuGet feed.

Cache upload errors

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

You encounter errors uploading a binary package to your cache.

Cause 1: Binary cache provider failed to upload

Uploads can fail for a variety of reasons, and error messages are usually provider specific.

  • Ensure you are authenticated to your cache. Different providers authenticate differently.
  • Check if you've specified the correct URI for your cache.
  • Refer to push troubleshooting if you are using NuGet as a binary source.
  • Review documentation or the troubleshooting guide of your specific provider.

Empty binary cache

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

Although you encountered no errors and vcpkg installation was successful, the binary cache remains empty. If you observed errors, consult push troubleshooting for NuGet and upload troubleshooting for other providers.

Cause 1: vcpkg lacks write permissions to the binary cache

The following message is missing in your output.

Uploading binaries for 'rapidjson:x64-windows' to <binary source> source <url>.
Stored binaries in 1 destinations in 1.5 s.

vcpkg skipped uploading the binary package to your binary cache.

Libraries rebuild instead of using remote binary cache

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

Your system rebuilds libraries locally, even when the required binary package is available in the remote binary cache.

The following message is missing in your output.

Restored 1 package(s) from <remote binary cache> in 1.1 s. Use --debug to see more details.

Cause 1: vcpkg lacks read permissions from the remote binary cache

vcpkg choose to read your default binary cache over the remote one.

Cause 2: The remote binary cache is empty

The remote cache should contain a list of binary packages you've pushed.

Cause 3: Differences between local and remote build environments

Each package in binary cache is labeled with an ABI hash which contains compiler versions, sources, and other information to distinguish between binary packages. If the locally computed ABI hash doesn't match the one stored remotely, the package isn't retrieved.

Unexpected or frequent library rebuilds

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

In an unchanged environment and without updating vcpkg, you still find yourself rebuilding libraries occassionally.

Cause 1: Undetected changes in the build environment

Each package in binary cache is labeled with an ABI hash which contains compiler versions, sources, and other information to distinguish between binary packages. If the locally computed ABI hash doesn't match the one stored remotely, the package isn't retrieved.

Troubleshooting ABI hash mismatch

Important

Update your vcpkg tool to the latest release. Additionally, enable debug output for comprehensive error logs.

This guide is intended for users to diagnose why they have different ABI hashes for two identically named binary packages.

Comparing two binary packages

Determining the difference between two identically named packages requires comparing various data: sources, tool versions, compilers, and target platforms. The ABI hash provides a concise representation of this data. When calculating an ABI hash, vcpkg considers all relevant data, including file content, tool versions, and system details. It creates a hash for each data point and then combines these hashes into a single value for the binary package.

Binary package ABI hash comparison

The ABI hash of the library zlib is bb1c96759ac96102b4b18215db138daedd3eb16c2cd3302ae7bffab2b643eb87:

[DEBUG] Trying to hash <path>\buildtrees\zlib\x86-windows.vcpkg_abi_info.txt
[DEBUG] <path>\buildtrees\zlib\x86-windows.vcpkg_abi_info.txt has hash bb1c96759ac96102b4b18215db138daedd3eb16c2cd3302ae7bffab2b643eb87

If the hash changes between runs for the same library, this indicates that the two packages are distinct.

Compiler version ABI hash comparison

Verify if the version of your compiler changed between runs.

[DEBUG] -- The C compiler identification is MSVC 19.36.32538.0
[DEBUG] -- The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.36.32538.0
[DEBUG] #COMPILER_HASH#f5d02a6542664cfbd4a38db478133cbb1a18f315

The compiler hash is f5d02a6542664cfbd4a38db478133cbb1a18f315.

ABI Hash entry comparison

Compare ABI entries for each package. A entry represents a piece of information that contributes to the final hash.

[DEBUG] <abientries for zlib:x86-windows>
[DEBUG]   0001-Prevent-invalid-inclusions-when-HAVE_-is-set-to-0.patch|750b9542cb55e6328cca01d3ca997f1373b9530afa95e04213168676936e7bfa
[DEBUG]   0002-skip-building-examples.patch|835ddecfed752e0f49be9b0f8ff7ba76541cb0a150044327316e22ca84f8d0c2
[DEBUG]   0003-build-static-or-shared-not-both.patch|d6026271dcb3d8fc74b41e235620ae31576a798e77aa411c3af8cd9e948c02b1
[DEBUG]   0004-android-and-mingw-fixes.patch|37a43eddbcb1b7dde49e7659ae895dfd0ff1df66666c1371ba7d5bfc49d8b438
[DEBUG]   cmake|3.26.2
[DEBUG]   features|core
[DEBUG]   portfile.cmake|ac63047b644fa758860dd7ba48ff9a13b058c6f240b8e8d675b8fbba035976be
[DEBUG]   ports.cmake|5a8e00cedff0c898b1f90f7d129329d0288801bc9056562b039698caf31ff3f3
[DEBUG]   post_build_checks|2
[DEBUG]   powershell|7.3.6
[DEBUG]   triplet|x86-windows
[DEBUG]   triplet_abi|3e71dd1d4afa622894ae367adbbb1ecbd42c57c51428a86b675fa1c8cad3a581-36b818778ba6f2c16962495caedb9a7b221d5be4c60de1cd3060f549319a9931-f5d02a6542664cfbd4a38db478133cbb1a18f315
[DEBUG]   usage|be22662327df993eebc437495add75acb365ab18d37c7e5de735d4ea4f5d3083
[DEBUG]   vcpkg-cmake|1b3dac4b9b0bcbef227c954b495174863feebe3900b2a6bdef0cd1cf04ca1213
[DEBUG]   vcpkg-cmake-wrapper.cmake|5d49ef2ee6448479c2aad0e5f732e2676eaba0411860f9bebabe6002d66f57d1
[DEBUG]   vcpkg.json|bc94e2540efabe36130a806381a001c57194e7de67454ab7ff1e30aa15e6ce23
[DEBUG]   vcpkg_copy_pdbs|d57e4f196c82dc562a9968c6155073094513c31e2de475694143d3aa47954b1c
[DEBUG]   vcpkg_fixup_pkgconfig|588d833ff057d3ca99c14616c7ecfb5948b5e2a9e4fc02517dceb8b803473457
[DEBUG]   vcpkg_from_git|8f27bff0d01c6d15a3e691758df52bfbb0b1b929da45c4ebba02ef76b54b1881
[DEBUG]   vcpkg_from_github|b743742296a114ea1b18ae99672e02f142c4eb2bef7f57d36c038bedbfb0502f
[DEBUG]   vcpkg_replace_string|d43c8699ce27e25d47367c970d1c546f6bc36b6df8fb0be0c3986eb5830bd4f1
[DEBUG] </abientries>

Note

The triplet_abi entry contains three hashes: the hash of the file content of the x86-windows triplet, the windows.cmake toolchain, and the compiler hash. These hashes would change if you decided to target a different platform.

Mismatch 1: Port files

Port files include port scripts (portfile.cmake, vcpkg.json), patch files (*.patch), or any other file in the ports directory: ports/<library>/*.

Cause 1: CI or pipeline updated the port catalog

Before vcpkg ran in your CI, it cloned the latest vcpkg repository.

  • When using git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg followed by the bootstrap script, ensure you checkout to a specific commit.
  • Consider adding vcpkg as a git submodule to your project.

Cause 2: GitHub Actions updated vcpkg

You are using the system copy of vcpkg provided by GitHub Actions, which was updated.

  • Clone your own copy of vcpkg.
  • Consider making vcpkg a git submodule in your project.

Mismatch 2: vcpkg CMake helper functions

CMake helper functions reside in the scripts directory: scripts/*, and typically start with vcpkg_.

Cause 1: CI or pipeline updated helper scripts

Before vcpkg ran in your CI, it cloned the latest vcpkg repository.

  • When using git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg followed by the bootstrap script, ensure you checkout to a specific commit.
  • Consider adding vcpkg as a git submodule to your project.

Cause 2: GitHub Actions updated vcpkg

You are using the system copy of vcpkg provided by GitHub Actions, which was updated.

  • Clone your own copy of vcpkg.
  • Consider making vcpkg a git submodule in your project.

Mismatch 3: Compiler version

vcpkg rebuilt your dependencies with a different version of the compiler.

Cause 1: The Visual Studio C++ compiler automatically updated.

Visual Studio automatically updated the C++ workload, including the compiler, between runs. Even minor version updates will result in vcpkg rebuilding the set of libraries.

Cause 2: The library was built on a different machine than the machine used to consume it.

One machine created and published the binary package to a remote cache. Another machine typically used for development consumed the cached library.

  • Use the same C++ compiler version locally as on your remote machine. For Visual Studio, consider a fixed version bootstrapper.
  • Rebuild your dependencies locally for development purposes. Test and address issues later during continuous integration.

Cause 3: The self-hosted image updated the compiler.

The underlying image you used to build vcpkg dependencies changed, which updated the compiler version.

  • Pin to a stable and versioned image. Ensure you are not fetching the latest image so it does not automatically update underlying tools or compilers between runs.
  • If you need to update the image frequently, pin the C++ compiler tools to a specific version when creating your image.

Cause 4: GitHub Hosted Runners updated the underlying compiler.

Hosted GitHub runners update compilers and tools weekly.

  • Currently, there is no way to fix your image and prevent the tools and compiler version from updating periodically. See the other options section for alternative solutions.

Mismatch 4: The version of the tools changed between runs.

The version of tools used to build your libraries, CMake or PowerShell, changed between runs.

Cause 1: Visual Studio automatically updated.

Visual Studio automatically updated, including any tools, between runs. Even minor version updates will result in vcpkg rebuilding the set of libraries.

  • Disable automatic Visual Studio updates.
  • Add --x-abi-tools-use-exact-versions to your vcpkg invocation. This fixes the ABI of your tools based on the version in vcpkgTools.xml; vcpkg fetches its own copy if necessary.

Cause 2: The library was built on a different machine than the machine used to consume it.

One machine created and published the binary package to a remote cache. Another machine typically used for development consumed the cached library.

  • Use the same tool versions locally as on your remote machine.
  • Rebuild your dependencies locally for development purposes. Test and address issues later during continuous integration.
  • Add --x-abi-tools-use-exact-versions to your vcpkg invocation. This fixes the ABI of your tools based on the version in vcpkgTools.xml; vcpkg fetches its own copy if necessary.

Cause 3: Self-hosted image updated the tools.

The underlying image you used to build vcpkg dependencies changed, which the versions of any tools used.

  • Pin to a stable and versioned image. Ensure you are not fetching the latest image so it does not automatically update underlying tools between runs.
  • If you need to update the image frequently, pin any relevant tools to a specific version when creating your image.
  • Add --x-abi-tools-use-exact-versions to your vcpkg invocation. This fixes the ABI of your tools based on the version in vcpkgTools.xml; vcpkg fetches its own copy if necessary.

Cause 4: GitHub Hosted Runners updated underlying tools.

Hosted GitHub runners update compilers and tools weekly.

  • Add --x-abi-tools-use-exact-versions to your vcpkg invocation. This fixes the ABI of your tools based on the version in vcpkgTools.xml; vcpkg fetches its own copy if necessary.

Other Options

If the above options do not work, consider the following workarounds:

  • Use vcpkg export to produce a standalone archive of your dependencies instead of restoring them from a manifest.
  • Consider using a Docker self-hosted image to build your libraries
  • Have an auxiliary continuous integration run that builds vcpkg libraries on a regular cadence (e.g. daily or weekly)

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