The best alternatives to Redis

Redis is one of the fastest databases currently available. The solution is ideal if you need real-time responses. However, since it stores data directly in memory, it is not as suitable for large data volumes. Learn about the available Redis alternatives below.

What is Redis and what alternatives are there?

Speed is (almost) everything. For real-time applications needed in areas like gaming, e-commerce, or the Internet of Things, companies rely on databases that stand out for their minimal response times. One of the fastest and most popular database management systems is Redis. The ‘REmote DIctionary Server’ was developed by Salvatore Sanfilippo in 2009 and is freely available under the BSD open-source license. Redis is a user-friendly in-memory database. This means that data is stored in key-value pairs directly in memory, allowing response times of less than a millisecond. The system is non-relational and offers horizontal and vertical scaling options, ensuring it can grow with your needs.

Redis offers numerous benefits to users. It’s exceptionally fast, free in its basic version, and generally easy to use. However, it’s not the best fit for every scenario. When it comes to managing complex data structures, Redis can quickly hit limitations. Since it operates as a key-value store, queries can only be made using keys. And while it does support various scaling options, in-memory storage can be both expensive and space-consuming. For handling large volumes of data, alternative solutions to Redis may be more suitable.

MongoDB, the most flexible Redis alternative

If an in-memory database poses challenges for the reasons mentioned above, MongoDB could be one of the best alternatives to Redis. This NoSQL solution is designed to handle large and diverse volumes of data, whether structured, semi-structured, or unstructured. Data is stored as binary-encoded JSON documents, grouped into collections. MongoDB supports nearly unlimited horizontal scalability, making it well-suited for growing datasets. Instead of relying on a proprietary query language, it allows the use of object-specific methods in common programming languages. Thanks to a feature known as sharding, MongoDB distributes data across multiple nodes, ensuring strong fault tolerance and high availability.

Learn about the detailed differences and similarities between MongoDB and Redis in our Digital Guide.

The key advantages of MongoDB

• Infinitely horizontally scalable
• High flexibility
• High availability and fault tolerance through sharding
• Suitable for many data types
• User-friendly
• Enables data replication
• Compatible with numerous languages, platforms, and systems
• Very effective in combination with Redis

Firebase, the development platform with a real-time database

If you’re not ready to give up the high speed of Redis entirely, Google provides a strong alternative. Firebase, part of Google’s product suite since 2014, is technically a comprehensive development platform that includes 18 different services—some free, others paid. Among these is a robust cloud-hosted real-time database capable of synchronising data instantly across clients. Firebase is especially well-suited for mobile apps and web applications. It’s tightly integrated into the Google ecosystem and leverages many of Google’s core services. Developers can start using Firebase for free, and the platform supports sharding, which enhances both fault tolerance and availability.

The key advantages of Firebase

• Very fast read and write speeds
• Real-time synchronisation
• Ideal for mobile applications
• Close integration with Google and its various services
• Numerous solutions for all aspects of application development
• Good cloud connectivity
• Fast and strong support
• High availability and fault tolerance

MariaDB, classic SQL power meets modern flexibility

For users who value stability, SQL compatibility, and the transparency of open-source solutions, MariaDB is a strong contender. Originally created as a fork of MySQL, MariaDB has since developed into an independent and high-performing database system known for its flexibility. It’s especially well-suited for the long-term storage and analysis of structured data. While not a traditional in-memory database like Redis, this relational database can serve as a solid Redis alternative with SQL capabilities. Thanks to features such as temporary tables, memory-optimised storage engines, and efficient indexing, MariaDB offers strong performance even for more demanding workloads. Its active community and steady stream of updates ensure that the system remains modern and reliable.

The key advantages of MariaDB

• Open source with community-driven development
• Powerful with classic relational data models
• Wide range of storage engines, including for memory-intensive scenarios
• Compatibility with MySQL
• Good compromise between performance and data durability
• SQL standard support

DynamoDB, the managed database from Amazon

One of the most user-friendly Redis alternatives comes from Amazon. DynamoDB has been part of Amazon Web Services (AWS) since 2012 and is provided as a fully managed service. This means you no longer need to perform upgrades, security settings, or necessary scaling yourself; instead, you continuously have a system that is up-to-date. Scaling is unlimited and done according to your needs and billed accordingly. DynamoDB is a serverless NoSQL database that impresses with high speeds. High data availability can also be ensured. Although the close integration with the AWS environment isn’t helpful for every project, it can provide you with advantages.

The key advantages of DynamoDB

• Very user-friendly due to complete management
• Always automatically up to date
• Very secure solution
• Strong integration into the AWS ecosystem
• High availability
• Pay as you go
• Limitless scalability
• High read and write speed

Apache Cassandra, a free solution for large data volumes

Apache Cassandra is a column-based NoSQL database that offers a high degree of flexibility and is fully open source. The system is designed for unlimited horizontal and vertical scalability and is built with fault tolerance in mind. To ensure continuous data availability, it operates across multiple nodes simultaneously. Cassandra uses its own query language, CQL (Cassandra Query Language), which is inspired by SQL. It supports data replication and stores information as key-value pairs. Thanks to its impressive performance and reliability, Apache Cassandra is trusted by major companies and platforms such as Apple, Spotify, and X (formerly Twitter) for large-scale data storage.

The key advantages of Apache Cassandra

• Open Source
• Maximally scalable
• CQL is similar to SQL
• High level of fault tolerance and availability
• Data replication is possible
• Suitable for numerous different data types
• High fault tolerance
• Fast write and read operations

MySQL, the relational Redis alternative

While NoSQL databases have become increasingly widespread, there are also strong Redis alternatives in the relational database space. One of the most widely used table-based systems is MySQL, which relies on the popular SQL query language. Despite its relational nature, MySQL is known for its flexibility. It’s particularly well-suited if your goal is to store large volumes of structured data in a secure and well-organised way. MySQL is fundamentally open source, though Oracle also offers commercial editions with additional features. Major platforms like Spotify and YouTube use MySQL, reinforcing its reputation as a reliable and secure database solution.

The key advantages of MySQL

• Open source
• Designed for large datasets
• Very user-friendly and clear
• Supported by a large community
• Easily scalable
• Part of the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
• Query language SQL
• Allows combination with NoSQL databases
• High availability and fault tolerance