diff --git a/data_explorer/app/df_helpers/fields.py b/data_explorer/app/df_helpers/fields.py
index 85ab1cb4a..6f5f68083 100644
--- a/data_explorer/app/df_helpers/fields.py
+++ b/data_explorer/app/df_helpers/fields.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ def get_fields_by_types(
     filtered_fields = []
 
     for field, f_type in fields.items():
-        if any(ftype in f_type.type.to_json()["type"] for ftype in field_types):
+        if any(ftype in f_type.type.to_dict()["type"] for ftype in field_types):
             filtered_fields.append(field)
 
     return filtered_fields
diff --git a/data_explorer/app/pages/home.py b/data_explorer/app/pages/home.py
index 55387ebd0..5b89fcbf3 100644
--- a/data_explorer/app/pages/home.py
+++ b/data_explorer/app/pages/home.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ def create_component_table(manifest: Manifest) -> str:
     component_name = manifest.component_id
 
     fields_with_schema = [
-        (field_name, field_schema.type.to_json()["type"])
+        (field_name, field_schema.type.to_dict()["type"])
         for field_name, field_schema in fields.items()
     ]
 
diff --git a/examples/sample_pipeline/data/sample.parquet b/examples/sample_pipeline/data/sample.parquet
index 3b56f832b..4988861ae 100644
Binary files a/examples/sample_pipeline/data/sample.parquet and b/examples/sample_pipeline/data/sample.parquet differ
diff --git a/examples/sample_pipeline/pipeline.py b/examples/sample_pipeline/pipeline.py
index eff75db77..3c1ae60cc 100644
--- a/examples/sample_pipeline/pipeline.py
+++ b/examples/sample_pipeline/pipeline.py
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
     arguments={
         "dataset_uri": "/data/sample.parquet",
         "column_name_mapping": load_component_column_mapping,
-        "n_rows_to_load": 5,
     },
     produces={"text_data": pa.string()},
 )
diff --git a/src/fondant/core/component_spec.py b/src/fondant/core/component_spec.py
index 64507ec81..43f76f122 100644
--- a/src/fondant/core/component_spec.py
+++ b/src/fondant/core/component_spec.py
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ def __init__(
         image: str,
         *,
         description: t.Optional[str] = None,
-        consumes: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Union[str, pa.DataType]]] = None,
-        produces: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Union[str, pa.DataType]]] = None,
+        consumes: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Union[str, pa.DataType, bool]]] = None,
+        produces: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Union[str, pa.DataType, bool]]] = None,
         previous_index: t.Optional[str] = None,
         args: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Any]] = None,
         tags: t.Optional[t.List[str]] = None,
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def consumes(self) -> t.Mapping[str, Field]:
         """The fields consumed by the component as an immutable mapping."""
         return types.MappingProxyType(
             {
-                name: Field(name=name, type=Type.from_json(field))
+                name: Field(name=name, type=Type.from_dict(field))
                 for name, field in self._specification.get("consumes", {}).items()
                 if name != "additionalProperties"
             },
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ def produces(self) -> t.Mapping[str, Field]:
         """The fields produced by the component as an immutable mapping."""
         return types.MappingProxyType(
             {
-                name: Field(name=name, type=Type.from_json(field))
+                name: Field(name=name, type=Type.from_dict(field))
                 for name, field in self._specification.get("produces", {}).items()
                 if name != "additionalProperties"
             },
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._inner_produces: t.Optional[t.Mapping[str, Field]] = None
         self._outer_produces: t.Optional[t.Mapping[str, Field]] = None
 
-    def to_json(self) -> str:
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
         def _dump_mapping(
             mapping: t.Optional[t.Dict[str, t.Union[str, pa.DataType]]],
         ) -> dict:
@@ -378,15 +378,17 @@ def _dump_mapping(
             serialized_mapping: t.Dict[str, t.Any] = mapping.copy()
             for key, value in mapping.items():
                 if isinstance(value, pa.DataType):
-                    serialized_mapping[key] = Type(value).to_json()
+                    serialized_mapping[key] = Type(value).to_dict()
             return serialized_mapping
 
-        specification_dict = {
+        return {
             "specification": self._component_spec.specification,
             "consumes": _dump_mapping(self._mappings["consumes"]),
             "produces": _dump_mapping(self._mappings["produces"]),
         }
 
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        specification_dict = self.to_dict()
         return json.dumps(specification_dict)
 
     @classmethod
@@ -397,7 +399,7 @@ def _parse_mapping(
             """Parse a json mapping to a Python mapping with Fondant types."""
             for key, value in json_mapping.items():
                 if isinstance(value, dict):
-                    json_mapping[key] = Type.from_json(value).value
+                    json_mapping[key] = Type.from_dict(value).value
             return json_mapping
 
         return cls(
diff --git a/src/fondant/core/manifest.py b/src/fondant/core/manifest.py
index a4cb0d6d8..15ecf87d7 100644
--- a/src/fondant/core/manifest.py
+++ b/src/fondant/core/manifest.py
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def fields(self) -> t.Mapping[str, Field]:
             {
                 name: Field(
                     name=name,
-                    type=Type.from_json(field),
+                    type=Type.from_dict(field),
                     location=field["location"],
                 )
                 for name, field in self._specification["fields"].items()
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ def add_or_update_field(self, field: Field, overwrite: bool = False):
         else:
             self._specification["fields"][field.name] = {
                 "location": field.location,
-                **field.type.to_json(),
+                **field.type.to_dict(),
             }
 
     def _add_or_update_index(self, field: Field, overwrite: bool = True):
diff --git a/src/fondant/core/schema.py b/src/fondant/core/schema.py
index 62ca4f02c..953cd9167 100644
--- a/src/fondant/core/schema.py
+++ b/src/fondant/core/schema.py
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def list(cls, data_type: t.Union[str, pa.DataType, "Type"]) -> "Type":
         )
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_json(cls, json_schema: dict):
+    def from_dict(cls, json_schema: dict):
         """
         Creates a new `Type` instance based on a dictionary representation of the json schema
           of a data type (https://swagger.io/docs/specification/data-models/data-types/).
@@ -150,12 +150,12 @@ def from_json(cls, json_schema: dict):
         if json_schema["type"] == "array":
             items = json_schema["items"]
             if isinstance(items, dict):
-                return cls.list(cls.from_json(items))
+                return cls.list(cls.from_dict(items))
             return None
 
         return cls(json_schema["type"])
 
-    def to_json(self) -> dict:
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
         """
         Converts the `Type` instance to its JSON representation.
 
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ def to_json(self) -> dict:
         if isinstance(self.value, pa.ListType):
             items = self.value.value_type
             if isinstance(items, pa.DataType):
-                return {"type": "array", "items": Type(items).to_json()}
+                return {"type": "array", "items": Type(items).to_dict()}
 
         type_ = None
         for type_name, data_type in _TYPES.items():
diff --git a/src/fondant/pipeline/lightweight_component.py b/src/fondant/pipeline/lightweight_component.py
index d8280ba89..afeed47ee 100644
--- a/src/fondant/pipeline/lightweight_component.py
+++ b/src/fondant/pipeline/lightweight_component.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import itertools
 import textwrap
 import typing as t
-from dataclasses import dataclass
+from dataclasses import asdict, dataclass
 from functools import wraps
 
 from fondant.component import BaseComponent, Component
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ def __post_init__(self):
             # TODO: link to Fondant version
             self.base_image = "fondant:latest"
 
+    def to_dict(self):
+        return asdict(self)
+
 
 class PythonComponent(BaseComponent):
     @classmethod
diff --git a/src/fondant/pipeline/pipeline.py b/src/fondant/pipeline/pipeline.py
index 18d16a111..0711c9f34 100644
--- a/src/fondant/pipeline/pipeline.py
+++ b/src/fondant/pipeline/pipeline.py
@@ -332,18 +332,23 @@ def get_nested_dict_hash(input_dict):
             hash_object = hashlib.md5(sorted_json_string.encode())  # nosec
             return hash_object.hexdigest()
 
-        component_spec_dict = self.component_spec.specification
+        operation_spec_dict = self.operation_spec.to_dict()
+        image_dict = self.image.to_dict()
+
         arguments = (
             get_nested_dict_hash(self.arguments) if self.arguments is not None else None
         )
 
         component_op_uid_dict = {
-            "component_spec_hash": get_nested_dict_hash(component_spec_dict),
+            "operation_spec_hash": get_nested_dict_hash(operation_spec_dict),
+            "image": get_nested_dict_hash(image_dict),
             "arguments": arguments,
             "input_partition_rows": self.input_partition_rows,
             "number_of_accelerators": self.resources.accelerator_number,
             "accelerator_name": self.resources.accelerator_name,
             "node_pool_name": self.resources.node_pool_name,
+            "cluster_type": self.cluster_type,
+            "client_kwargs": self.client_kwargs,
         }
 
         if previous_component_cache is not None:
diff --git a/tests/core/test_schema.py b/tests/core/test_schema.py
index 08d9dc969..f442835cd 100644
--- a/tests/core/test_schema.py
+++ b/tests/core/test_schema.py
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ def test_valid_type():
     assert Type("int8").value == pa.int8()
     assert Type.list(Type("int8")).value == pa.list_(pa.int8())
     assert Type.list(Type.list(Type("string"))).value == pa.list_(pa.list_(pa.string()))
-    assert Type("int8").to_json() == {"type": "int8"}
-    assert Type.list("float32").to_json() == {
+    assert Type("int8").to_dict() == {"type": "int8"}
+    assert Type.list("float32").to_dict() == {
         "type": "array",
         "items": {"type": "float32"},
     }
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ def test_valid_type():
 
 def test_valid_json_schema():
     """Test that Type class initialized with a json schema matches the expected pyarrow schema."""
-    assert Type.from_json({"type": "string"}).value == pa.string()
-    assert Type.from_json(
+    assert Type.from_dict({"type": "string"}).value == pa.string()
+    assert Type.from_dict(
         {"type": "array", "items": {"type": "int8"}},
     ).value == pa.list_(pa.int8())
-    assert Type.from_json(
+    assert Type.from_dict(
         {"type": "array", "items": {"type": "array", "items": {"type": "int8"}}},
     ).value == pa.list_(pa.list_(pa.int8()))
 
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ def test_valid_json_schema():
     "statement",
     [
         'Type("invalid_type")',
-        'Type("invalid_type").to_json()',
+        'Type("invalid_type").to_dict()',
         'Type.list(Type("invalid_type"))',
-        'Type.list(Type("invalid_type")).to_json()',
-        'Type.from_json({"type": "invalid_value"})',
-        'Type.from_json({"type": "invalid_value", "items": {"type": "int8"}})',
-        'Type.from_json({"type": "array", "items": {"type": "invalid_type"}})',
+        'Type.list(Type("invalid_type")).to_dict()',
+        'Type.from_dict({"type": "invalid_value"})',
+        'Type.from_dict({"type": "invalid_value", "items": {"type": "int8"}})',
+        'Type.from_dict({"type": "array", "items": {"type": "invalid_type"}})',
     ],
 )
 def test_invalid_json_schema(statement):
diff --git a/tests/pipeline/test_compiler.py b/tests/pipeline/test_compiler.py
index 1774ba8d7..48d558ff1 100644
--- a/tests/pipeline/test_compiler.py
+++ b/tests/pipeline/test_compiler.py
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ def test_invalid_vertex_configuration(tmp_path_factory):
 
 
 def test_caching_dependency_docker(tmp_path_factory):
-    """Test that the component cache key changes when a depending component cache key change for
+    """Test that the component cache key changes when a dependant component cache key change for
     the docker compiler.
     """
     arg_list = ["dummy_arg_1", "dummy_arg_2"]
diff --git a/tests/pipeline/test_python_component.py b/tests/pipeline/test_python_component.py
index fb15291c4..502ad71fe 100644
--- a/tests/pipeline/test_python_component.py
+++ b/tests/pipeline/test_python_component.py
@@ -78,8 +78,10 @@ def load(self) -> dd.DataFrame:
     )
 
     assert len(pipeline._graph.keys()) == 1
-    operation_spec = pipeline._graph["CreateData"]["operation"].operation_spec.to_json()
-    assert json.loads(operation_spec) == {
+    operation_spec_dict = pipeline._graph["CreateData"][
+        "operation"
+    ].operation_spec.to_dict()
+    assert operation_spec_dict == {
         "specification": {
             "name": "CreateData",
             "image": "python:3.8-slim-buster",
@@ -106,11 +108,10 @@ def transform(self, dataframe: pd.DataFrame) -> pd.DataFrame:
         consumes={"x": pa.int32(), "y": pa.int32()},
         arguments={"n": 1},
     )
-
     assert len(pipeline._graph.keys()) == 1 + 1
     assert pipeline._graph["AddN"]["dependencies"] == ["CreateData"]
-    operation_spec = pipeline._graph["AddN"]["operation"].operation_spec.to_json()
-    assert json.loads(operation_spec) == {
+    operation_spec_dict = pipeline._graph["AddN"]["operation"].operation_spec.to_dict()
+    assert operation_spec_dict == {
         "specification": {
             "name": "AddN",
             "image": "fondant:latest",