go-cache-plugin

This repository defines a tool implementing a GOCACHEPROG plugin backed by Amazon S3.

Installation

go install github.com/tailscale/go-cache-plugin/cmd/go-cache-plugin@latest

Usage Outline

export GOCACHEPROG="go-cache-plugin --cache-dir=/tmp/gocache --bucket=some-s3-bucket"
go test ./...

Using the plugin requires a Go toolchain built with GOEXPERIMENT=cacheprog enabled. However, you do not need the experiment enabled to build the plugin itself.

Discussion

The go-cache-plugin program supports two modes of operation:

1. Direct mode: The program is invoked directly by the Go toolchain as a subprocess, and exits when the toolchain execution ends.

   This is the default mode of operation, and requires no additional setup.

2. Server mode: The program runs as a separate process and the Go toolchain communicates with it over a local socket.

   This mode requires the server to be started up ahead of time, but makes the configuration for the toolchain simpler. This mode also permits running an in-process module and sum database proxy.

Server Mode

To run in server mode, use the serve subcommand:

# N.B.: The --plugin flag is required.
go-cache-plugin serve \
   --plugin=5930 \
   --cache-dir=/tmp/gocache \
   --bucket=some-s3-bucket

To connect to a server running in this mode, use the connect subcommand:

# Use the same port given to the server's --plugin flag.
# Mnemonic: 5930 == (Go) (C)ache (P)lugin
export GOCACHEPROG="go-cache-plugin connect 5930"
go build ./...

The connect command just bridges the socket to stdin/stdout, which is how the Go toolchain expects to talk to the plugin.

Running a Module Proxy

To enable a caching module proxy, use the --modproxy flag to serve. The module proxy uses HTTP, not the plugin interface, use --http to set the address:

go-cache-plugin serve \
   --plugin=5930 \
   --http=localhost:5970 --modproxy \
   --cache-dir=/tmp/gocache \
   # ... other flags

To tell the Go toolchain about the proxy, set:

# Mnemonic: 5970 == (Go) (M)odule (P)roxy
export GOPROXY=http://localhost:5970/mod   # use the --http address

If you want to also proxy queries to sum.golang.org, also add:

export GOSUMDB='sum.golang.org http://locahost:5970/mod/sumdb/sum.golang.org'

References

• Cache plugin protocol (proposal)
• Cache plugin library
• Go module proxy documentation