The SwissFEL C-band (5.712 GHz) linac consists of 28 RF modules. Each module is composed of a single 50 MW klystron feeding a pulse compressor and four two meter long accelerating structures. The pulse compressor is based on a single Barrel Open Cavity (BOC). The BOC makes use of a “whispering gallery” mode which has an intrinsically high quality factor and operates in a resonant rotating wave regime; moreover, and contrary to the conventional SLED scheme, a single cavity is sufficient to define the pulse compressor, without the need for two cavities and a 3-dB hybrid. A prototype has been manufactured and successfully tested. A short description of the BOC is presented, together with the prototype design, production, low level RF measurements, and high power test.