DevOps, can we use remote machines to accelerate local build?

Development
1

Imagine a typical setup where you have a Git repository, an automatic build system and a handful of developers.

Now, I check out another branch and my IDE starts building stuff and say, it takes 5 minutes, during which I more or less can’t do anything. Meanwhile, my fellow developers’ machines are likely to be idle. The build machine is even more likely to be idle. <- although in my case the build machine is in AWS, making it a bit questionable whether it’s a good idea to loop it in.

Anyways, wouldn’t it be a good idea to utilize those resources? And the build machine probably already has a current build of that branch…seems meaningless to rebuild it.

I guess this probably comes down to which language, IDE and build system you use? Please let me know if there’s already something out there that does this…I am only aware of M$ TFS but that’s local build agents helping a server, it’s the other way around…

2

Instead of an expensive software solution, why not just have a more powerful machine?

5 minutes isn’t a big deal.

Something that takes hours would be. Microsoft building windows from the git source code would take hours, so they made GVFS (Git Virtual File System), which sped up the process.

3

Because it makes the game less fun!

Oh and BTW I should have mentioned this question is purely out of my own curiosity and interest, I’m pretty sure it’s not happening in my company anyways :slight_smile:

And you know when it comes to company (or any other non personal asset really), having more powerful machine is not always an option right?