layout: documentation title: Remote execution overview

Remote execution overview

By default, Bazel executes builds and tests on your local machine. Remote execution of a Bazel build allows you to distribute build and test actions across multiple machines, such as a datacenter.

Remote execution provides the following benefits:

  • Faster build and test execution through scaling of nodes available for parallel actions
  • A consistent execution environment for a development team
  • Reuse of build outputs across a development team

Bazel uses an open-source gRPC protocol to allow for remote execution and remote caching.

Remote execution services

To run Bazel with remote execution, you can use one of the following:

Requirements

Remote execution of Bazel builds imposes a set of mandatory configuration constraints on the build. For more information, see Adapting Bazel Rules for Remote Execution.