What is Amazon ElastiCache used for?

Amazon ElastiCache is a managed in-memory caching service on AWS that is compatible with Valkey, Redis OSS and Memcached for low-latency application data access. It is a good fit for caching database query results and storing session data for web applications.

How much does Amazon ElastiCache cost?

Amazon ElastiCache is a paid product with no free plan. Usage-based. ElastiCache for Valkey starts at $6 per month, and node-based clusters bill hourly, for example $0.437 per hour for a cache.r7g.xlarge node.

Is Amazon ElastiCache open source?

No. Amazon ElastiCache is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache include Redis, Dragonfly and Valkey.

What are some alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache?

Amazon ElastiCache competes with Upstash, Amazon MemoryDB and Google Memorystore. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon ElastiCache alternatives.

Amazon ElastiCache: features, pricing and alternatives

About Amazon ElastiCache

Amazon ElastiCache is a managed in-memory caching service from AWS. Applications use it to keep frequently read data in memory so responses come back faster than from a disk-based database, and it is compatible with Valkey, Redis OSS and Memcached.

AWS describes the service as serverless and fully managed, with microsecond latency, so teams do not have to provision, patch or replace cache servers themselves. Typical uses include caching database queries, storing session data and speeding up read-heavy applications. It integrates with the rest of AWS for networking, security and monitoring.

ElastiCache is a proprietary AWS service and cannot be self-hosted. Charges follow AWS usage-based pricing, which is described on the service's pricing page.

Key features

Managed Valkey, Redis OSS and Memcached caches
Serverless deployment option
Microsecond-latency data access
No server provisioning or patching
Integration with AWS security and monitoring

Good fit for

→Caching database query results
→Storing session data for web applications

Tags: caching; in-memory; aws; valkey; redis; memcached; managed-service

Amazon ElastiCache: questions and answers

What is Amazon ElastiCache used for?: Amazon ElastiCache is a managed in-memory caching service on AWS that is compatible with Valkey, Redis OSS and Memcached for low-latency application data access. It is a good fit for caching database query results and storing session data for web applications.
How much does Amazon ElastiCache cost?: Amazon ElastiCache is a paid product with no free plan. Usage-based. ElastiCache for Valkey starts at $6 per month, and node-based clusters bill hourly, for example $0.437 per hour for a cache.r7g.xlarge node.
Is Amazon ElastiCache open source?: No. Amazon ElastiCache is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache include Redis, Dragonfly and Valkey.
What are some alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache?: Amazon ElastiCache competes with Upstash, Amazon MemoryDB and Google Memorystore. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon ElastiCache alternatives.