# Memcached

> Free & open source, high-performance, distributed memory object caching system

- **Canonical URI:** https://www.vioscale.ai/software/memcached
- **Category:** Key-Value Stores
- **Homepage:** https://memcached.org
- **Also known as:** memcached
- **Profile claimed by vendor:** no
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-01T21:24:05.016Z

## Vioscale score

**69.4 / 100**, confidence 11% (low).

Composite of weighted, independently-sourced signals (no user reviews, no vendor payment).

| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence present |
|---|--:|--:|--:|:--:|
| price_level | 100 | 6 | 600 | ✓ |
| reliability | 0 | 10 | 0 | - |
| capabilities | 0 | 17 | 0 | - |
| github_stars | 78.4 | 7 | 548.5 | ✓ |
| integrations | 0 | 8 | 0 | - |
| github_activity | 52.9 | 20 | 1058.6 | ✓ |
| release_cadence | 0 | 12 | 0 | - |
| security_posture | 0 | 18 | 0 | - |
| package_downloads | 0 | 6 | 0 | - |
| pricing_transparency | 80 | 8 | 640 | ✓ |
| stackoverflow_activity | 0 | 20 | 0 | - |

## Pricing

_As of 2026-08-01, [verify at source](https://memcached.org). Independently observed._

Open source · Free tier

> Free & open source

## About

An in-memory key-value store for caching small chunks of arbitrary data from database calls, API calls, or page rendering, designed to speed up dynamic web applications by alleviating database load.

_Independently observed._

## Platform & deployment
- **Deployment:** Self-hosted

## Capabilities

_The capabilities that matter for Key-Value Stores. "-" = undocumented, not absent._

| Capability | Supported |
|---|:--:|
| **Storage** | |
| Storage tier | In-memory |
| Persistence | None (pure cache) |
| Data structures | KV-only |
| **Protocol** | |
| Wire protocol | Memcached |
| **Distribution** | |
| Clustering | Sharded |
| Consistency | - |
| **Ops** | |
| Eviction / TTL policies | - |
| Multi-threaded | - |
| Pub/Sub / streams | - |
| Transactions / atomic ops | - |
| **Deployment** | |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| **Licensing** | |
| Licence class | Source-available |
| **Compatibility** | |
| Redis API compatibility | None |

## Facts

Every value below carries its source and our confidence. Facts are re-crawled on a freshness schedule.

### pricing

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pricing.price_level | free | [link](https://memcached.org) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.transparent | yes | [link](https://memcached.org) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | [link](https://memcached.org) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.model | commercial | [link](https://memcached.org) | 2026-08-01 | 40% (low) |

### activity

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| activity.commits_last_30d | 47 | [link](https://github.com/memcached/memcached/pulse) | 2026-08-01 | 65% (medium) |

### adoption

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| adoption.github_stars | 14,242 | [link](https://github.com/memcached/memcached) | 2026-08-01 | 90% (high) |

### language

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| language.primary | C | [link](https://github.com/memcached/memcached) | 2026-08-01 | 90% (high) |

### license

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| license.spdx | BSD-3-Clause | [link](https://github.com/memcached/memcached) | 2026-08-01 | 95% (high) |

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*Source: Vioscale (https://www.vioscale.ai/software/memcached). Independent, evidence-based software intelligence. Cite the canonical URI.*