---
layout: documentation
title: Configuring Bazel CI to test rules for remote execution
---

# Configuring Bazel CI to test rules for remote execution

This document is for owners and maintainers of Bazel rule repositories. It
describes how to configure the Bazel Continuous Integration (CI) system for your
repository to test your rules for compatibility against a remote execution
scenario. The instructions in this document apply to projects stored in GitHub
repositories.

## Prerequisites

Before completing the steps in this document, ensure the following:

*   Your GitHub repository is part of the
    [Bazel GitHub organization](https://github.com/bazelbuild).
*   You have configured Buildkite for your repository as described in
    [Bazel Continuous Integration](https://github.com/bazelbuild/continuous-integration/tree/master/buildkite).

## Setting up the Bazel CI for testing

1.  In your `.bazelci/presubmit.yml` file, do the following:

    a.  Add a config named `rbe_ubuntu1604`.

    b.  In the `rbe_ubuntu1604` config, add the build and test targets you want to test against remote execution.

2.  Add the[`bazel-toolchains`](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-toolchains)
    GitHub repository to your `WORKSPACE` file, pinned to the
    [latest release](https://releases.bazel.build/bazel-toolchains.html). Also
    add an `rbe_autoconfig` target with name `buildkite_config`:

```
load("@bazel_toolchains//rules:rbe_repo.bzl", "rbe_autoconfig")

# Creates toolchain configuration for remote execution with BuildKite CI
# for rbe_ubuntu1604.
rbe_autoconfig(name = "buildkite_config")
```

3.  Send a pull request with your changes to the `presubmit.yml` file. (See
    [example pull request](https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_rust/commit/db141526d89d00748404856524cedd7db8939c35).)

4.  To view build results, click **Details** for the RBE (Ubuntu
    16.04) pull request check in GItHub, as shown in the figure below. This link
    becomes available after the pull request has been merged and the CI tests
    have run. (See
    [example results](https://source.cloud.google.com/results/invocations/375e325c-0a05-47af-87bd-fed1363e0333).)

    ![alt_text](images/rbe-ci-1.png "Details")

5.  (Optional) Set the **bazel test (RBE (Ubuntu 16.04))** check as a test
    required to pass before merging in your branch protection rule. The setting
    is located in GitHub in **Settings > Branches > Branch protection rules**,
    as shown in the following figure.

    ![alt_text](images/rbe-ci-2.png "Branch protection rules")

## Troubleshooting failed builds and tests

If your build or tests fail, it's likely due to the following:

*   **Required build or test tools are not installed in the default container.**
    Builds using the `rbe_ubuntu1604` config run by default inside an
    [`rbe-ubuntu16-04`](https://pantheon.corp.google.com/marketplace/details/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04)
    container, which includes tools common to many Bazel builds. However, if
    your rules require tools not present in the default container, you must
    create a custom container based on the
    [`rbe-ubuntu16-04`](https://pantheon.corp.google.com/marketplace/details/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04)
    container and include those tools as described later in this document.

*   **Build or test targets are using rules that are incompatible with remote
    execution.** See
    [Adapting Bazel Rules for Remote Execution](remote-execution-rules.html) for
    details about compatibility with remote execution.

## Using a custom container in the `rbe_ubuntu1604` CI config

The `rbe-ubuntu16-04` container is publicly available at the following URL:

```
http://gcr.io/cloud-marketplace/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04
```

You can pull it directly from Container Registry or build it from source. The
next sections describe both options.

Before you begin, make sure you have installed `gcloud`, `docker`, and `git`.
If you are building the container from source, you must also install the latest
version of Bazel.

### Pulling the `rbe-ubuntu16-04` from Container Registry

To pull the <span style="color:#212121;">Pull the `rbe-ubuntu16-04` container
  from Container Registry, run the following command:</span>

```
gcloud docker -- pull gcr.io/cloud-marketplace/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04@sha256:<sha256-checksum>
```

Replace `<sha256-checksum>` with the SHA256 checksum value for
[the latest container](https://pantheon.corp.google.com/gcr/images/cloud-marketplace/GLOBAL/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04).

### Building the `rbe-ubuntu16-04` container from source

To build the `rbe-ubuntu16-04` container from source, do the following:

1.  Clone the `bazel-toolchains` repository:

    ```
    git clone https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-toolchains
    ```

2.  Set up toolchain container targets and build the container as explained in
    [Toolchain Containers](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-toolchains/tree/master/container).

3.  Pull the freshly built container:

    ```
    gcloud docker -- pull gcr.io/<project-id>/<custom-container-name>@sha256:<sha256-checksum>
    ```

### Running the custom container

To run the custom container, do one of the following:

*   If you pulled the container from Container Registry, run the following
    command:

    ```
    docker run -it gcr.io/cloud-marketplace/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04@sha256:<sha256-checksum> /bin/bash
    ```

    Replace `sha256-checksum` with the SHA256 checksum value for the
    [latest container](https://pantheon.corp.google.com/gcr/images/cloud-marketplace/GLOBAL/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04).

*   If you built the container from source, run the following command:

    ```
    docker run -it gcr.io/<project-id>/<custom-container-name>@sha256:<sha256sum> /bin/bash
    ```

### Adding resources to the custom container

Use a [`Dockerfile`](https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/builder/) or
[`rules_docker`](https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_docker) to add resources or
alternate versions of the original resources to the `rbe-ubuntu16-04` container.
If you are new to Docker, read the following:

*   [Docker for beginners](https://github.com/docker/labs/tree/master/beginner)
*   [Docker Samples](https://docs.docker.com/samples/)

For example, the following `Dockerfile` snippet installs `<my_tool_package>`:

```
FROM gcr.io/cloud-marketplace/google/rbe-ubuntu16-04@sha256:<sha256-checksum>
RUN apt-get update && yes | apt-get install -y <my_tool_package>
```

### Pushing the custom container to Container Registry

Once you have customized the container, build the container image and push it to
Container Registry as follows:

1. Build the container image:

    ```
    docker build -t <custom-container-name> .docker tag <custom-container-name> gcr.io/<project-id>/<custom-container-name>
    ```

2.  Push the container image to Container Registry:

    ```
    gcloud docker -- push gcr.io/<project-id>/<custom-container-name>
    ```

3.  Navigate to the following URL to verify the container has been pushed:

    ```
    https://console.cloud.google.com/gcr/images/<project-id>/GLOBAL/<custom-container-name>
    ````

4.  Take note of the SHA256 checksum of your custom container. You will need to
    provide it in your build platform definition later in this document.

5.  Configure the container for public access as described in  publicly
    accessible as explained in
    [Serving images publicly](https://cloud.google.com/container-registry/docs/access-control#serving_images_publicly).

    For more information, see
    [Pushing and Pulling Images](https://cloud.google.com/container-registry/docs/pushing-and-pulling).


### Specifying the build platform definition

You must include a [Bazel platform](platforms.html) configuration in your
custom toolchain configuration, which allows Bazel to select a toolchain
appropriate to the desired hardware/software platform. To generate
automatically a valid platform, you can add  to your `WORKSPACE` an
`rbe_autoconfig` target with name `buildkite_config` which includes additional
attrs to select your custom container. For details on this setup please read
the up-to-date documentation for [`rbe_autoconfig`](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-toolchains/blob/master/rules/rbe_repo.bzl)