Resolving CircleCI Build Failures Due to Resource Constraints

Overview

Build failures in CircleCI can occur when a job is terminated unexpectedly, often due to resource constraints like CPU and memory usage. This issue is typically indicated by error messages such as "The build failed because the process exited too early" or "error Command failed with exit code 1." These errors suggest that the system may have run out of memory, triggering the Out of Memory (OOM) killer to terminate the process.

Prerequisites

• Access to your CircleCI configuration file.
• Understanding of your current CircleCI plan and its resource class limitations.

Solution

To address build failures caused by resource constraints, consider the following steps:

1. Analyze Resource Usage: Check the CPU and memory usage of your jobs. If they are consistently hitting 100%, it indicates a need for more resources.

2. Upgrade Resource Class:

   • Modify your CircleCI configuration file to use a larger resource class. This allocates more CPU and memory to your job, reducing the likelihood of it being terminated due to resource constraints.
   • Refer to the CircleCI Configuration Reference for guidance on specifying resource classes.

3. Understand Cost Implications:

   • The cost of upgrading to a larger resource class, such as the medium+ class with 3 vCPUs and 6GB of RAM, depends on your CircleCI plan.
   • Review the Resource Classes Page for detailed information on costs and availability.

Additional Resources

• CircleCI Configuration Reference
• Yarn CLI Documentation
• PostCSS 8 Plugin Migration Guide

By following these steps, you can mitigate build failures due to resource constraints and ensure smoother execution of your CircleCI jobs.