Add AOT cache recording to build plugins and bootBuildImage

[vpelikh]

Summary

Integrates Leyden AOT cache (JEP 483) recording into the Spring Boot Maven and Gradle build plugins, configured declaratively with a single switch. When enabled, the build records an AOT cache from the integration tests and bundles it into the OCI image, so the application reuses the pre-recorded cache at container startup.

Configuration

Maven — bind the aot-cache-record goal to the initialize phase and set the spring-boot.aot-cache-record property, then run tests together with the image build:

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>aot-cache-record</id>
            <goals>
                <goal>aot-cache-record</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

<properties>
    <spring-boot.aot-cache-record>true</spring-boot.aot-cache-record>
</properties>

mvn test spring-boot:build-image

Gradle — set aotCacheRecord = true on the bootBuildImage task and run tests together with the image build:

bootBuildImage {
    aotCacheRecord = true
}

./gradlew test bootBuildImage

What it does

Recording the cache from integration tests

When enabled, the plugin injects -XX:AOTCacheOutput=<path> into the test JVM arguments, so the JVM records an AOT cache during integration test execution. Recording is gated on the image build being scheduled in the same execution:

• Gradle — JavaPluginAction injects the flag into the test JVM args via whenReady, only when the project's bootBuildImage is in the task graph.
• Maven — AotCacheRecordMojo (initialized in the initialize phase) injects the flag into the Surefire argLine, only when spring-boot:build-image is in the execution plan.

The test-only paths do not record a cache; the image build fails closed with actionable guidance when the cache is expected but missing.

Bundling the cache into the image

The generated aot-cache/application.aot is bundled into the OCI image and BP_JVM_AOTCACHE_ENABLED=true is set for the Paketo buildpack.

AOT cache compatibility metadata

AOT caches are JDK-version- and platform-specific. The plugins now write aot-cache/application.aot.meta alongside the cache, recording the java.version and os.arch of the JVM that built the image. The Paketo buildpack compares this against the JRE baked into the image and fails the build on a mismatch, preventing an incompatible cache from being reused.

Related

• Paketo buildpack consuming the cache at startup: Support pre-recorded AOT cache in container images paketo-buildpacks/spring-boot#609
• Spring Framework test listener that produces the cache during integration tests: Detect and verify JVM AOT cache recording during integration tests spring-framework#37124

[snicoll]

@vpelikh thanks for the PR but it isn't actionable right now. I'd like to make sure we reach a conclusion in the related Spring framework issue and we can then consider a contribution.