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Microsoft Garnet vs NCache

Microsoft Garnet: Microsoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers. NCache: A native .NET distributed cache and data grid for Windows and Linux, with an Apache-licensed edition.

key differences

  • Only Microsoft Garnet has transactions, vector search, geospatial.
  • Only NCache has secondary indexes, full-text search, json, encryption at rest.
  • Microsoft Garnet can run embedded in your application process.

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

choose ncache for

  • +ASP.NET session and output caching
  • +EF Core second-level caching
  • +Shared cache for .NET microservices on Windows or Linux

best at · Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub

Microsoft GarnetMicrosoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers.
NCacheA native .NET distributed cache and data grid for Windows and Linux, with an Apache-licensed edition.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Vector
Document
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Microsoft Research
Alachisoft
First release
2024
2005
Latest version
2.2.4 (Oct 22, 2026)
5.3.8 (Oct 21, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Open source (permissive)Apache 2.0 (Open Source edition); Enterprise is commercial
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
7.8
7.8
Rank
#336
#337
GitHub stars
12.1K
666
Stack Overflow questions
–
70
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
In memory, Single node, Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
In memory, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
Azure, AWS
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, C# stored procedures
SQL-like query API, LINQ
Client languages
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub, Vector search
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Microsoft Garnet vs NCache: FAQ

What is the difference between Microsoft Garnet and NCache?

Microsoft Garnet: Microsoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers. NCache: A native .NET distributed cache and data grid for Windows and Linux, with an Apache-licensed edition. Only Microsoft Garnet has transactions, vector search, geospatial. Only NCache has secondary indexes, full-text search, json, encryption at rest. Microsoft Garnet can run embedded in your application process.

When should I choose Microsoft Garnet over NCache?

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. Choose NCache for ASP.NET session and output caching; EF Core second-level caching; and shared cache for .NET microservices on Windows or Linux.

Is Microsoft Garnet or NCache more popular?

Microsoft Garnet ranks #336 on the WhichDB Score (7.8/100) and NCache ranks #337 (7.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Microsoft Garnet and NCache open source?

Yes. Microsoft Garnet is open source. License: MIT License. Yes. NCache is open source. License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source edition); Enterprise is commercial.