Amazon ElastiCache vs Ehcache: What are the differences?

Key differences between Amazon ElastiCache and Ehcache

1. Scalability: Amazon ElastiCache offers highly scalable caching infrastructure that allows automatic scaling of cache nodes based on demand. It provides support for both Redis and Memcached engines, allowing users to choose the one that best fits their needs. On the other hand, Ehcache is primarily designed for standalone usage and requires manual configuration and management for scaling, making it less scalable compared to ElastiCache.

2. Managed service vs self-hosted: ElastiCache is a fully managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It takes care of deployment, configuration, patching, and maintenance of the caching infrastructure, allowing developers to focus on their applications. Ehcache, on the other hand, requires developers to set up and manage the caching infrastructure themselves, which can be time-consuming and requires technical expertise.

3. Integration with AWS ecosystem: ElastiCache is tightly integrated with other AWS services, such as Amazon RDS, Amazon EC2, and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). This seamless integration allows for easy deployment and integration of caching solutions within an AWS environment. In contrast, Ehcache is not directly integrated with the AWS ecosystem and might require additional configuration and coordination to work with other AWS services.

4. Availability and durability: ElastiCache provides high availability and automatic failover mechanisms to ensure continuous access to cached data. It supports multi-Availability Zone deployments, enabling fault tolerance and data durability. Ehcache, on the other hand, does not offer built-in mechanisms for high availability and failover. Users need to implement their own strategies for data protection and availability.

5. Monitoring and metrics: ElastiCache offers detailed monitoring and metrics through integration with AWS CloudWatch. Users can easily monitor cache performance, track usage patterns, and set alarms for specific metrics. Ehcache, on the other hand, does not offer built-in monitoring and metrics capabilities. Users need to rely on their own monitoring solutions or plugins to gather performance data.

6. Cost structure: ElastiCache follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where users pay for the resources they consume and the time they use. Users can easily scale up or down the caching infrastructure based on their needs, optimizing cost-efficiency. Ehcache, being self-hosted, requires up-front investments in hardware and ongoing maintenance costs, making it less flexible in terms of cost.

In Summary, Amazon ElastiCache offers scalable, fully managed caching infrastructure with seamless integration with the AWS ecosystem, high availability, and advanced monitoring capabilities. Ehcache, on the other hand, is a self-hosted solution that requires manual management, lacks built-in high availability mechanisms, and may require additional setup and monitoring efforts.