Amazon ElastiCache vs Azure Redis Cache: What are the differences?

Introduction

Amazon ElastiCache and Azure Redis Cache are two popular distributed in-memory caching services offered by AWS and Microsoft Azure respectively.

1. Managed Service: Amazon ElastiCache is a fully managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides scalable and high-performance caching capability using popular open-source caching engines like Redis and Memcached. On the other hand, Azure Redis Cache is also a fully managed service offered by Microsoft Azure that provides a managed implementation of the popular Redis caching engine.

2. Availability: Amazon ElastiCache is available in multiple regions across the globe, allowing users to deploy their cache clusters closer to their application instances. Whereas, Azure Redis Cache is also available in multiple regions globally, allowing users to distribute their caches geographically.

3. Pricing Model: Amazon ElastiCache pricing is based on the instance type and size of the cache cluster, along with additional charges for data transfer and storage. On the contrary, Azure Redis Cache pricing is based on the cache size and the number of connections, with additional charges for data transfer and storage.

4. Integration: Amazon ElastiCache is tightly integrated with other AWS services like AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS CloudFormation, AWS CloudTrail, etc., providing seamless integration and easier management within the AWS ecosystem. Whereas, Azure Redis Cache is tightly integrated with other Azure services like Azure Active Directory, Azure Monitor, Azure Direct Route, etc., ensuring seamless integration and management within the Azure ecosystem.

5. Security Features: Amazon ElastiCache provides various security features like in-transit and at-rest encryption, support for Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) security groups, and integration with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for fine-grained access control. On the other hand, Azure Redis Cache also offers in-transit and at-rest encryption, support for Azure Virtual Network (VNet) integration, and Azure Active Directory integration for access control.

6. Performance Optimization: Amazon ElastiCache provides features like automatic scalability, read replicas, backup and restore, and multi-AZ replication for high availability, ensuring optimal performance and reliability for caching workloads. Similarly, Azure Redis Cache offers features like scaling up/down, read replicas, and persistence options for data durability to optimize performance and ensure high availability.

In Summary, Amazon ElastiCache and Azure Redis Cache are both fully managed caching services offered by AWS and Azure respectively. ElastiCache has tighter integration with AWS services, provides fine-grained access control with IAM, and offers multi-AZ replication for high availability. Azure Redis Cache offers tighter integration with Azure services, provides access control with Azure Active Directory, and offers persistence options for data durability.