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Hazelcast vs Infinispan

Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster. Infinispan: Red Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server.

key differences

  • Only Hazelcast has joins, change data capture, stored procedures, compression, streaming ingest.
  • Only Infinispan has full-text search, encryption at rest, role-based access.

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

choose infinispan for

  • +Hibernate second-level and Keycloak session caching
  • +Clustered HTTP session storage for Java app servers
  • +Distributed cache on OpenShift with operator management

best at · Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub

HazelcastA Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster.
InfinispanRed Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Document, Vector
Document, Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Hazelcast, Inc.
Red Hat (IBM)
First release
2008
2009
Latest version
5.7.0 (May 12, 2026)
16.3.1 (Oct 20, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
33.5
28.8
Rank
#63
#93
GitHub stars
6.6K
1.4K
Stack Overflow questions
2.9K
1.1K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual, Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
In memory, Distributed, Embedded, Client server
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
SQL, Predicate API, Jet Pipeline API
Ickle (JPQL-like), Redis commands (RESP)
Client languages
Java, C#, C++, Python, JavaScript, Go
Java, C#, C++, JavaScript, Python
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Streaming, Real-time analytics
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Hazelcast vs Infinispan: FAQ

What is the difference between Hazelcast and Infinispan?

Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster. Infinispan: Red Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server. Only Hazelcast has joins, change data capture, stored procedures, compression, streaming ingest. Only Infinispan has full-text search, encryption at rest, role-based access.

When should I choose Hazelcast over Infinispan?

Choose Hazelcast for shared low-latency state for microservices; fraud detection and payment stream processing; and web session clustering for Java app servers. Choose Infinispan for hibernate second-level and Keycloak session caching; clustered HTTP session storage for Java app servers; and distributed cache on OpenShift with operator management.

Is Hazelcast or Infinispan more popular?

Hazelcast ranks #63 on the WhichDB Score (33.5/100) and Infinispan ranks #93 (28.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hazelcast and Infinispan open source?

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