Depot CLI - Up to 40x Faster Docker Builds

TL;DR

TL;DR: Depot CLI replaces local Docker builds with cloud-hosted remote builders that claim up to 40x speedup, with zero-config caching and multi-platform support.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: depot.dev ← verified
• Source repository: github.com/depot/cli ← verified README, MIT license
• License: MIT (verified via README LICENSE section)
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33011072 ← verified via Algolia API

What Is Depot?

Depot is a build infrastructure platform that provides cloud-hosted container builder machines. Instead of running docker build on your local machine or CI runner, you offload it to Depot’s remote builders, which run on native hardware with fully managed build caching.

The product claim from the website (schema-verified): “Remote Docker builds up to 40x faster”.

The Depot CLI (depot/cli on GitHub, MIT license, ~197 stars) is the official command-line client. It exposes commands for building, baking, pushing, and pulling Docker images through Depot’s remote infrastructure.

Installation

Install the Depot CLI on macOS via Homebrew:

brew install depot/tap/depot

On Linux, use the official install script:

# Install the latest version
curl -L https://depot.dev/install-cli.sh | sh

# Install a specific version (example: 2.17.0)
curl -L https://depot.dev/install-cli.sh | sh -s 2.17.0

For other platforms (Windows, direct binary), download from the latest GitHub release.

Quick Start

# 1. Authenticate with your Depot account
depot login

# 2. Link the current directory to a Depot project
depot init

# 3. Build a Docker image using remote builders
depot build -t repo/image:tag .

Running depot init creates a depot.json file in your project directory that maps it to a Depot project ID.

Core Commands

depot build

Build a single Docker image on Depot’s remote builders:

depot build -t example/app:latest .

By default, the built image stays in the remote builder cache. Use --load to pull it into your local Docker daemon, or --push to push directly to a registry.

depot bake

depot bake mirrors Docker’s docker buildx bake but runs on remote Depot builders. It reads HCL, JSON, or Compose files defining multi-target builds:

group "default" {
  targets = ["app", "db"]
}

target "app" {
  dockerfile = "Dockerfile"
  platforms  = ["linux/amd64", "linux/arm64"]
  tags       = ["example/app:latest"]
}

target "db" {
  dockerfile = "Dockerfile.db"
  platforms  = ["linux/amd64", "linux/arm64"]
  tags       = ["example/db:latest"]
}

depot bake

The project ID can be provided via --project flag, the DEPOT_PROJECT_ID environment variable, depot.json, or the x-depot Compose extension field.

depot push / depot pull

Push a built image to a remote registry:

depot push --tag example/app:latest <BUILD_ID>

Or pull a previously built image to your local Docker daemon:

depot pull --tag example/app:latest <BUILD_ID>

Registry credentials are sourced from your existing docker login config, or you can pass them via DEPOT_PUSH_REGISTRY_USERNAME and DEPOT_PUSH_REGISTRY_PASSWORD environment variables.

Pricing

Depot offers a free tier with pay-as-you-go beyond that. From the pricing page: “Get started for free. Build Docker images faster, only paying for what you use.”

The platform bills by build minutes or data processed — exact rates require sign-up. A free trial is available without a credit card.

CI/CD Integration

Depot integrates with GitHub Actions via the official depot/build-push-action (github.com/depot/build-push-action). The GitHub Action handles authentication and project routing automatically, making it straightforward to replace local Docker builds in CI pipelines.

FAQ

Q: How does caching work? A: Depot manages build caching automatically with no extra configuration. Layer caching is shared across builds within your project, so repeated builds hit the cache without any docker buildx --cache-from flags.

Q: What platforms are supported? A: Both linux/amd64 (Intel) and linux/arm64 (Apple Silicon / ARM) are supported in a single build via --platform or the platforms field in bake files.

Q: Can I self-host Depot? A: Depot is a hosted service. There is no self-hosted option documented in the current public offering.

Q: What happens to images after the build? A: By default, images remain in Depot’s remote cache. Use depot pull to download to your local Docker daemon, or depot push to send to a registry of your choice.

Conclusion

Depot CLI is a drop-in replacement for local Docker builds that routes work to cloud-hosted builders with managed caching. If your Docker builds are a CI bottleneck, the CLI and GitHub Action make the switch straightforward. The free tier lets you evaluate whether the speedup justifies the cost for your workflow.