# Choice, Clarity, and the Future of Caching in Gradle Actions

DevFeed: [Choice, Clarity, and the Future of Caching in Gradle Actions](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/choice-clarity-and-the-future-of-caching-in-gradle-actions-24602.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.gradle.org/choice-clarity-future-caching-gradle-actions>)

Author: Daz DeBoer

Published: 2026-04-03T04:00:00Z

Content type: release

Language: en

Sources: [The Gradle Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/the-gradle-blog.md>)

Topics: [Gradle](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gradle.md>), [Caching](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/caching.md>), [GitHub](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/github.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>)

Tags: [caching](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/caching.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/configuration.md>), [github](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github.md>), [gradle](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gradle.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [release](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/release.md>)

## AI overview

Gradle Actions 6.1.0 responds to licensing concerns by clarifying that Gradle claims no ownership of cached content and by introducing a Basic Caching provider. The new provider is fully open source, uses path-based caching backed by GitHub, and offers an alternative to the proprietary Enhanced Caching option.

## Source excerpt

Since the release of gradle/actions v6, we've been listening closely to the feedback from the community. It's clear that while we were focused on building the next generation of caching for Gradle, we missed the mark on how we communicated the changes to licensing that came with the release. As the maintainer of this project, my goal is to ensure this action remains a tool the community trusts. Today, we are releasing version 6.1.0, which puts transparency and user choice at the forefront. 1. Data Ownership: The "Safe Harbor" Clause The most significant concern we heard was that our new license terms were overly broad, leading some to fear that Gradle might claim ownership of the cached data processed by the action. Let me be clear: Your code and artifacts belong to you. Period. To formalize this, we have updated the Gradle Technologies Terms of Use to include a Safe Harbor clause specifically for cached content. This clause explicitly confirms that Gradle claims no ownership of the content of your cache entries. We may collect metadata (such as cache keys) and usage metrics to facilitate and improve the caching service, but the actual cached data will not be inspected or retained. For more details on licensing of gradle/actions and gradle-actions-caching, please see our new Distribution & Licensing Guide. 2. Restoring Choice: The "Basic" Caching Provider In v6.0, we introduced Enhanced Caching via the proprietary gradle-actions-caching component as the only caching option with setup-gradle. We understand that for some, having a 100% open-source path is a requirement, not a preference. In v6.1, we are introducing a Basic Caching provider. This is a 100% open-source thin wrapper over actions/cache. It provides reliable, path-based caching backed by GitHub. You now have a choice. If you prefer to stay entirely within the MIT-licensed ecosystem, you can opt out of the proprietary library with one line of configuration: - uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v6 with: cache