# Apache Ignite vs Memcached

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Memcached

| Attribute | Apache Ignite | Memcached |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 46.8 (32% (low)) | 54.2 (37% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 97 | 47 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 7 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 5,079 | 14,259 |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Apache Ignite is an open-source distributed database that combines in-memory storage with persistent disk-based data management, supporting ACID transactions and SQL queries across distributed clusters. | A free, in-memory key-value cache designed to reduce database load and improve application performance by storing temporary copies of frequently accessed data from databases, APIs, or rendered pages. It distributes cache across multiple servers in a cluster, with each piece of data stored in a single consistent location for reliable retrieval. |
| features.capabilities | `{"clustering":"sharded","deployment":"self_hosted","consistency":"strong","persistence":"durable","storage_tier":"in_memory","transactions":"multi_exec","licence_class":"permissive","wire_protocol":"custom","data_structures":"rich_types"}` | `{"clustering":"sharded","deployment":"self_hosted","consistency":"strong","persistence":"none","eviction_ttl":true,"storage_tier":"in_memory","transactions":"none","licence_class":"permissive","wire_protocol":"memcached","multi_threaded":true,"pubsub_streams":false,"data_structures":"kv_only","redis_api_compat":"none"}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Apache Cassandra"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Java | C |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://ignite.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:59:11.180Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Open source and free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://memcached.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:43:06.339Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 5.7 | 4.5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=apache-ignite-client&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=cloudpirates-memcached%2Fmemcached&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Key-Value Stores)

| Capability | Apache Ignite | Memcached |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Storage** |  |  |
| Storage tier | In-memory | In-memory |
| Persistence | Fully durable | None (pure cache) |
| Data structures | Rich types | KV-only |
| **Protocol** |  |  |
| Wire protocol | Custom | Memcached |
| **Distribution** |  |  |
| Clustering | Sharded | Sharded |
| Consistency | Strong | Strong |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Eviction / TTL policies | - | ✓ |
| Multi-threaded | - | ✓ |
| Pub/Sub / streams | - | ✗ |
| Transactions / atomic ops | MULTI-EXEC | None |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Permissive OSS | Permissive OSS |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Redis API compatibility | - | None |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:12:41.401Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*