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Apache Kvrocks vs Microsoft Garnet

Apache Kvrocks: A Redis-protocol database on RocksDB that trades a little latency for disk-sized capacity. Microsoft Garnet: Microsoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers.

key differences

  • Only Apache Kvrocks has secondary indexes, json, compression.
  • Only Microsoft Garnet has vector search, in-memory.
  • Microsoft Garnet can run embedded in your application process.

choose apache-kvrocks for

  • +Large Redis datasets that are too expensive to keep in RAM
  • +Persistent key-value storage with a Redis API
  • +Feature and profile stores accessed by key

best at · Cache, Sessions, Queue

choose garnet for

  • +Redis-compatible caching for .NET-heavy stacks
  • +High-throughput caches that need an SSD spill tier
  • +Embedding a cache-store inside a .NET service

best at · Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub

overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Document
Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Microsoft Research
First release
2019
2024
Latest version
2.17.0 (Sep 19, 2026)
2.2.4 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
10.3
7.8
Rank
#299
#336
GitHub stars
4.5K
12.1K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
In memory, Single node, Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
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, C# stored procedures
Client languages
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Queue, Pub/Sub
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub, Vector search

Apache Kvrocks vs Microsoft Garnet: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Kvrocks and Microsoft Garnet?

Apache Kvrocks: A Redis-protocol database on RocksDB that trades a little latency for disk-sized capacity. Microsoft Garnet: Microsoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers. Only Apache Kvrocks has secondary indexes, json, compression. Only Microsoft Garnet has vector search, in-memory. Microsoft Garnet can run embedded in your application process.

When should I choose Apache Kvrocks over Microsoft Garnet?

Choose Apache Kvrocks for large Redis datasets that are too expensive to keep in RAM; persistent key-value storage with a Redis API; and feature and profile stores accessed by key. Choose Microsoft Garnet for redis-compatible caching for .NET-heavy stacks, high-throughput caches that need an SSD spill tier and embedding a cache-store inside a .NET service.

Is Apache Kvrocks or Microsoft Garnet more popular?

Apache Kvrocks ranks #299 on the WhichDB Score (10.3/100) and Microsoft Garnet ranks #336 (7.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Kvrocks and Microsoft Garnet open source?

Yes. Apache Kvrocks is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Microsoft Garnet is open source. License: MIT License.