diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index de7cc25bb..dbf19ebca 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ language: c
 # https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/caching/
 cache:
   directories:
-    - rocksdb
+    - rocksdbCache
     - vendor/Nim/bin
 
 git:
@@ -17,27 +17,19 @@ matrix:
     - os: linux
       sudo: required
       before_install:
-        - export INSTALL_PATH=/usr
-        - export NPROC=$(nproc)
+        - export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/lib"
     - os: osx
       before_install:
-        - export INSTALL_PATH=$HOME # included in DYLD_FALLBACK_LIBRARY_PATH
-        - export NPROC=$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
+        - launchctl setenv LIBRARY_PATH /usr/local/lib # for RocksDB
 
 install:
   # build our own rocksdb to test with a fixed version that we think works
-  - export ROCKSDBVER=5.14.2
-  - "[ -f rocksdb/rocksdb-$ROCKSDBVER/Makefile ] || { rm -rf rocksdb ; mkdir -p rocksdb; cd rocksdb; wget https://github.com/facebook/rocksdb/archive/v$ROCKSDBVER.tar.gz && tar xvf v$ROCKSDBVER.tar.gz; cd ..; }"
-  - cd rocksdb/rocksdb-$ROCKSDBVER
-  - "[ -f util/build_version.cc ] || { make util/build_version.cc ; }" # use cached version if possible
-  - export NO_UPDATE_BUILD_VERSION=1
-  - make -j${NPROC} shared_lib && sudo make install-shared
-  - cd ../..
+  - ./build_rocksdb.sh rocksdbCache
 
 script:
   - set -e # fail fast
-  - make -j${NPROC}
+  - make -j2
   - ./build/nimbus --help
-  - make -j${NPROC} test test-reproducibility
-  - make -C vendor/nim-beacon-chain -j${NPROC} test
+  - make -j2 test test-reproducibility
+  - make -C vendor/nim-beacon-chain -j2 test
 
diff --git a/build_nim.sh b/build_nim.sh
index a7bdc9578..0c2b44482 100755
--- a/build_nim.sh
+++ b/build_nim.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+# used in Travis CI and AppVeyor scripts
 
 set -e
 
diff --git a/build_rocksdb.sh b/build_rocksdb.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..ddd7a58c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_rocksdb.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# used in Travis CI scripts
+
+set -e
+
+ROCKSDBVER="5.17.2"
+
+# script arguments
+[[ $# -ne 1 ]] && { echo "usage: $0 ci_cache_dir"; exit 1; }
+CI_CACHE="$1" # here we cache the installed files
+
+# install from cache and exit, if the version we want is already there
+if [[ -n "$CI_CACHE" ]] && ls "$CI_CACHE"/lib/librocksdb* 2>/dev/null | grep -q "$ROCKSDBVER"; then
+	sudo cp -a "$CI_CACHE"/* /usr/local/
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+# build it
+echo "Building RocksDB"
+curl -O -L -s -S https://github.com/facebook/rocksdb/archive/v$ROCKSDBVER.tar.gz
+tar xzf v$ROCKSDBVER.tar.gz
+cd rocksdb-$ROCKSDBVER
+make DISABLE_WARNING_AS_ERROR=1 -j2 shared_lib
+
+# install it
+if [[ -n "../$CI_CACHE" ]]; then
+	rm -rf "../$CI_CACHE"
+	mkdir "../$CI_CACHE"
+	make INSTALL_PATH="../$CI_CACHE" install-shared
+	sudo cp -a "../$CI_CACHE"/* /usr/local/
+fi
+