You have several options as to where you want to cache the dependencies:
- Only in docker (first build will be slow, then much faster if you container is not dead between the builds which is the case for CI agents for example)
- On the host machine running the docker image (you map the .gradle/caches inside the container when you start it). This is more suited for developers since usually it’s docker run …. gradle build for them
- On the repository layer: you can setup artifactory or a nexus with proxy to all the repos you require to use. You also need to point the gradle build to this proxy either statically by directly referencing the repo or dynamically using init.gradle logic for example