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Amazon MemoryDB vs Valkey

Amazon MemoryDB: A durable, Valkey/Redis-compatible in-memory database on AWS backed by a multi-AZ transaction log. Valkey: The Linux Foundation's BSD-licensed fork of Redis, now the default engine on AWS and Google Cloud.

key differences

  • Licensing: Amazon MemoryDB is proprietary (AWS service terms); Valkey is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause).
  • Only Amazon MemoryDB has vector search, encryption at rest.

choose amazon-memorydb for

  • +Durable session and shopping-cart state
  • +Primary database for microservices using Redis data structures
  • +Real-time leaderboards that must not lose updates
  • +Vector search close to application data

best at · Sessions, Cache, OLTP

choose valkey for

  • +Replacing Redis OSS without license concerns
  • +Application caching and session storage
  • +Rate limiting, counters and leaderboards
  • +Pub/sub fan-out and Streams-based queues

best at · Cache, Sessions, Queue

Amazon MemoryDBA durable, Valkey/Redis-compatible in-memory database on AWS backed by a multi-AZ transaction log.
ValkeyThe Linux Foundation's BSD-licensed fork of Redis, now the default engine on AWS and Google Cloud.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Vector
–
Type
Managed service
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Amazon Web Services
Valkey project (Linux Foundation)
First release
2021
2024
Latest version
–
9.1.3 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
ProprietaryAWS service terms
Open source (permissive)BSD 3-Clause
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
2.5
58.0
Rank
#473
#16
GitHub stars
–
27.5K
Stack Overflow questions
25
29
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
In memory, Distributed, Primary replica
In memory, Single node, Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Aiven, DigitalOcean, Akamai
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
—
—
Secondary indexes
—
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
✓
—
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
—
—
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
✓
✓
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
✓
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
—
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Redis commands (RESP), Lua
Redis commands (RESP), Lua
Client languages
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Best for
Sessions, Cache, OLTP, Vector search
Cache, Sessions, Queue, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Amazon MemoryDB vs Valkey: FAQ

What is the difference between Amazon MemoryDB and Valkey?

Amazon MemoryDB: A durable, Valkey/Redis-compatible in-memory database on AWS backed by a multi-AZ transaction log. Valkey: The Linux Foundation's BSD-licensed fork of Redis, now the default engine on AWS and Google Cloud. Licensing: Amazon MemoryDB is proprietary (AWS service terms); Valkey is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause). Only Amazon MemoryDB has vector search, encryption at rest.

When should I choose Amazon MemoryDB over Valkey?

Choose Amazon MemoryDB for durable session and shopping-cart state; primary database for microservices using Redis data structures; and real-time leaderboards that must not lose updates. Choose Valkey for replacing Redis OSS without license concerns; application caching and session storage; and rate limiting, counters and leaderboards.

Is Amazon MemoryDB or Valkey more popular?

Valkey ranks #16 on the WhichDB Score (58.0/100) and Amazon MemoryDB ranks #473 (2.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Amazon MemoryDB and Valkey open source?

No. Amazon MemoryDB is proprietary, closed-source software. License: AWS service terms. Yes. Valkey is open source. License: BSD 3-Clause.