Backblaze B2 Setup

Backblaze B2 offers highly affordable, S3-compatible cloud object storage with low storage costs and predictable pricing.

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Best Practices: Bucket Setup & Configuration

Follow these recommendations when setting up your Backblaze B2 cache bucket:

1. Bucket Creation & Access

1. In the Backblaze B2 console, navigate to Buckets > Create a Bucket.
2. Bucket Unique Name: Enter a globally unique name (e.g., my-org-ci-cache).
3. Files in Bucket are: Select Private (never choose Public).
4. Default Encryption: Enable Enabled (Server-Side Encryption / SSE-B2) to secure all cache bundles at rest.
5. Object Lock: Select Disabled. Object Lock prevents deletion during retention windows and will cause cache lifecycle expiration to fail.

2. Lifecycle Rules & Automatic Deletion

By default, Backblaze B2 keeps all uploaded versions of files forever. To avoid runaway storage bills:

1. In your bucket list, click Lifecycle Settings.
2. Choose Custom Lifecycle Settings.
3. Add a rule:
   • File Name Prefix: Leave blank (applies to all archives in bucket).
   • Days until hiding: 30 days (hides older cache files).
   • Days until deleting: 1 day (permanently deletes hidden files).

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Credentials & Scoped Application Keys

Never use your master Backblaze application key for CI workflows. Always generate a bucket-restricted application key:

1. Create a Restricted Application Key

1. In the Backblaze B2 console, navigate to Account > Application Keys.
2. Click Add a New Application Key.
3. Name of Key: github-actions-cache.
4. Allow access to Bucket(s): Select your dedicated CI cache bucket (do not select "All").
5. Type of Access: Select Read and Write.
6. Click Create New Key.

2. Configure GitHub Secrets

Backblaze will display your applicationKey only once:

Secret Name	Value in Backblaze
B2_KEY_ID	The keyID string (25-character alphanumeric ID)
B2_APPLICATION_KEY	The applicationKey secret string (31-character token)

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Workflow Configuration

- name: Cache dependencies using Backblaze B2
  uses: xSAVIKx/cloud-cache-action@v1
  with:
    bucket: my-b2-cache-bucket
    endpoint: https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com # Replace with your bucket's S3 endpoint
    access-key: ${{ secrets.B2_KEY_ID }}
    secret-key: ${{ secrets.B2_APPLICATION_KEY }}
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-maven-${{ hashFiles('**/pom.xml') }}
    restore-keys: |
      ${{ runner.os }}-maven-
    path: ~/.m2/repository

TIP

Automatic Region Detection: Cloud Cache Action automatically parses the AWS-compatible region (e.g. us-west-004 or eu-central-003) directly from your Backblaze endpoint URL, so you do not need to specify region manually.