What is Amazon ElastiCache?
Amazon ElastiCache is a fully managed in-memory cache service. It offers Redis and Memcached as engines and enables sub-millisecond latency for read/write operations. ElastiCache handles provisioning, patching, monitoring, and failover handling. ElastiCache Serverless provides a fully serverless option.
Core Features
- Two Engines: Redis for complex data structures and persistence, Memcached for simple caching
- Serverless Option: Automatic scaling without node management
- Multi-AZ Replication: High availability with automatic failover
- Cluster Mode: Horizontal scaling up to 500 nodes
- Encryption: At rest and in transit for sensitive data
Typical Use Cases
Session Store: Store user sessions centrally for horizontal scaling of your web servers. Redis TTL enables automatic session expiration.
Database Query Caching: Reduce database load by caching frequent queries. Response times drop from seconds to milliseconds.
Real-time Leaderboards: Redis Sorted Sets enable efficient rankings with millions of entries in O(log n) time.
Benefits
- Sub-millisecond latency for fast applications
- Managed service without operational overhead
- Seamless AWS integration with VPC, IAM, and CloudWatch
- More cost-effective than self-managed Redis instances from 2-3 nodes
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with Amazon ElastiCache: architecture design, migration from self-managed Redis, performance optimization, and caching strategies for your applications.
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
Redis or Memcached: Which engine should I choose?
Redis offers advanced data structures, persistence, and Pub/Sub. Memcached is simpler and offers multi-threading. For most use cases, we recommend Redis.
What is ElastiCache Serverless?
ElastiCache Serverless scales automatically without node management. You only pay for used storage and throughput. Ideal for variable workloads or when you want to minimize operational overhead.
How does high availability work?
With Multi-AZ deployments, ElastiCache replicates data across Availability Zones. On primary node failure, automatic failover occurs in 30-60 seconds.
Can I migrate from self-managed Redis?
Yes, through online migration with replication or offline migration with RDB backup. AWS Database Migration Service also supports Redis migrations.