> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.buildpixel.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why BuildPixel

> Why generic CI breaks for Unreal — and what BuildPixel does instead.

## Generic CI doesn't fit Unreal

We've used the alternatives. They have a few problems if you're shipping UE:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Hosted runners are sized for web apps">
    Standard hosted runners cap at 16 GB RAM and \~14 GB free disk. An empty UE5 project with a fresh DDC weighs \~30 GB. Self-hosting a runner just means you're back to managing VMs — the thing you wanted to outsource.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Generic CI doesn't understand .uproject">
    No concept of `EngineAssociation`. No detection of plugin compile order. Errors get truncated in 1MB log buffers. Status mapping is a regex.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="No DDC story">
    Without persistent DDC, the cooker re-runs every shader compile from scratch. Generic CI gives you ephemeral disks; you'd glue the cache layer together yourself.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Pricing rewards idleness">
    Reserved runners cost you whether they're building or not.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What BuildPixel does instead

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Native to UE" icon="cube">
    `.uproject` parsing, `RunUAT BuildCookRun` invocation, `LogCook` streaming. No YAML translation layer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Warm caches between builds" icon="hard-drive">
    Per-project, per-branch caches survive between runs. First build is full, every build after is a delta.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-time logs" icon="bolt">
    Live `LogCook` / `LogInit` output streamed to the dashboard while the build runs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="StreamPixel integration" icon="signal-stream">
    For pixel-streaming workflows, builds push straight into your runtime — no manual upload step.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## When BuildPixel isn't the right fit

<Warning>
  **You need to ship to PS5 / Xbox / Switch today.** Console SDKs are NDA-gated and require platform partner access. Console support is an Enterprise add-on — talk to us.
</Warning>

<Warning>
  **Your existing build pipeline works fine.** Our pitch is to teams whose current build story is broken or expensive. If yours isn't, don't change it for the sake of changing it.
</Warning>