vs

Ehcache vs Hazelcast

Ehcache: The standard embedded JVM cache, with heap, off-heap and disk tiers and optional Terracotta clustering. Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster.

key differences

  • Hazelcast is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Ehcache (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in Ehcache and native in Hazelcast.
  • Only Hazelcast has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, vector search, json.

choose ehcache for

  • +Hibernate second-level cache
  • +Spring @Cacheable method caching
  • +Local caching of reference data in JVM services

best at · Cache, Embedded

choose hazelcast for

  • +Shared low-latency state for microservices
  • +Fraud detection and payment stream processing
  • +Web session clustering for Java app servers
  • +Distributed caching in front of RDBMS

best at · Cache, Sessions, Streaming

overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
Document, Vector
Type
Embedded library
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Terracotta (IBM)
Hazelcast, Inc.
First release
2003
2008
Latest version
3.12.0 (Apr 3, 2026)
5.7.0 (May 12, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
17.6
33.5
Rank
#188
#63
GitHub stars
2.1K
6.6K
Stack Overflow questions
2.4K
2.9K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Native
Multi-region
None
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Eventual, Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Flexible
Architecture
Embedded, In memory
In memory, Distributed, Embedded, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
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
Java API
SQL, Predicate API, Jet Pipeline API
Client languages
Java
Java, C#, C++, Python, JavaScript, Go
Best for
Cache, Embedded
Cache, Sessions, Streaming, Real-time analytics

Ehcache vs Hazelcast: FAQ

What is the difference between Ehcache and Hazelcast?

Ehcache: The standard embedded JVM cache, with heap, off-heap and disk tiers and optional Terracotta clustering. Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster. Hazelcast is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Ehcache (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is addon in Ehcache and native in Hazelcast. Only Hazelcast has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, vector search, json.

When should I choose Ehcache over Hazelcast?

Choose Ehcache for hibernate second-level cache, spring @Cacheable method caching and local caching of reference data in JVM services. Choose Hazelcast for shared low-latency state for microservices; fraud detection and payment stream processing; and web session clustering for Java app servers.

Is Ehcache or Hazelcast more popular?

Hazelcast ranks #63 on the WhichDB Score (33.5/100) and Ehcache ranks #188 (17.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Ehcache and Hazelcast open source?

Yes. Ehcache is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Hazelcast is open source. License: Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules.