diff --git a/exporter/containerimage/export.go b/exporter/containerimage/export.go
index 27e58e7e2cd19..1412ebf46d740 100644
--- a/exporter/containerimage/export.go
+++ b/exporter/containerimage/export.go
@@ -190,10 +190,8 @@ func (e *imageExporterInstance) Name() string {
 	return "exporting to image"
 }
 
-func (e *imageExporterInstance) Config() exporter.Config {
-	return exporter.Config{
-		Compression: e.opts.RefCfg.Compression,
-	}
+func (e *imageExporterInstance) Config() *exporter.Config {
+	return exporter.NewConfigWithCompression(e.opts.RefCfg.Compression)
 }
 
 func (e *imageExporterInstance) Export(ctx context.Context, src *exporter.Source, sessionID string) (map[string]string, error) {
diff --git a/exporter/exporter.go b/exporter/exporter.go
index 284cb5615b944..967d06c1af872 100644
--- a/exporter/exporter.go
+++ b/exporter/exporter.go
@@ -16,10 +16,29 @@ type Exporter interface {
 
 type ExporterInstance interface {
 	Name() string
-	Config() Config
+	Config() *Config
 	Export(ctx context.Context, src *Source, sessionID string) (map[string]string, error)
 }
 
 type Config struct {
-	Compression compression.Config
+	// Make the field private in case it is initialized with nil compression.Type
+	compression compression.Config
+}
+
+func NewConfig() *Config {
+	return &Config{
+		compression: compression.Config{
+			Type: compression.Default,
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func NewConfigWithCompression(comp compression.Config) *Config {
+	return &Config{
+		compression: comp,
+	}
+}
+
+func (c *Config) Compression() compression.Config {
+	return c.compression
 }
diff --git a/exporter/local/export.go b/exporter/local/export.go
index fbd727d87a218..fa610c255646e 100644
--- a/exporter/local/export.go
+++ b/exporter/local/export.go
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ func (e *localExporterInstance) Name() string {
 	return "exporting to client"
 }
 
-func (e *localExporter) Config() exporter.Config {
-	return exporter.Config{}
+func (e *localExporter) Config() *exporter.Config {
+	return exporter.NewConfig()
 }
 
 func (e *localExporterInstance) Export(ctx context.Context, inp *exporter.Source, sessionID string) (map[string]string, error) {
diff --git a/exporter/oci/export.go b/exporter/oci/export.go
index 1a92cd1a399ca..160f2d8cc2892 100644
--- a/exporter/oci/export.go
+++ b/exporter/oci/export.go
@@ -86,10 +86,8 @@ func (e *imageExporterInstance) Name() string {
 	return "exporting to oci image format"
 }
 
-func (e *imageExporterInstance) Config() exporter.Config {
-	return exporter.Config{
-		Compression: e.opts.RefCfg.Compression,
-	}
+func (e *imageExporterInstance) Config() *exporter.Config {
+	return exporter.NewConfigWithCompression(e.opts.RefCfg.Compression)
 }
 
 func (e *imageExporterInstance) Export(ctx context.Context, src *exporter.Source, sessionID string) (map[string]string, error) {
diff --git a/exporter/tar/export.go b/exporter/tar/export.go
index 82af4404f8a17..9edb69d87dae2 100644
--- a/exporter/tar/export.go
+++ b/exporter/tar/export.go
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ func (e *localExporterInstance) Name() string {
 	return "exporting to client"
 }
 
-func (e *localExporterInstance) Config() exporter.Config {
-	return exporter.Config{}
+func (e *localExporterInstance) Config() *exporter.Config {
+	return exporter.NewConfig()
 }
 
 func (e *localExporterInstance) Export(ctx context.Context, inp *exporter.Source, sessionID string) (map[string]string, error) {
diff --git a/solver/llbsolver/solver.go b/solver/llbsolver/solver.go
index 5a87fc88e0e42..081b024cb7225 100644
--- a/solver/llbsolver/solver.go
+++ b/solver/llbsolver/solver.go
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ func (s *Solver) Solve(ctx context.Context, id string, sessionID string, req fro
 		if _, ok := asInlineCache(exp.CacheExporter); ok {
 			if err := inBuilderContext(ctx, j, "preparing layers for inline cache", j.SessionID+"-cache-inline", func(ctx context.Context, _ session.Group) error {
 				if cached.Ref != nil {
-					dtic, err := inlineCache(ctx, exp.CacheExporter, cached.Ref, e.Config().Compression, session.NewGroup(sessionID))
+					dtic, err := inlineCache(ctx, exp.CacheExporter, cached.Ref, e.Config().Compression(), session.NewGroup(sessionID))
 					if err != nil {
 						return err
 					}
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ func (s *Solver) Solve(ctx context.Context, id string, sessionID string, req fro
 					}
 				}
 				for k, res := range cached.Refs {
-					dtic, err := inlineCache(ctx, exp.CacheExporter, res, e.Config().Compression, session.NewGroup(sessionID))
+					dtic, err := inlineCache(ctx, exp.CacheExporter, res, e.Config().Compression(), session.NewGroup(sessionID))
 					if err != nil {
 						return err
 					}