vs

Hazelcast vs WebSphere eXtreme Scale

Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster. WebSphere eXtreme Scale: IBM's Java in-memory data grid for caching, HTTP sessions and partitioned object storage; still patched.

key differences

  • Licensing: Hazelcast is open source (permissive) (Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules); WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary (IBM International Program License Agreement).
  • WebSphere eXtreme Scale is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hazelcast (≤ 10 TB).
  • Only Hazelcast has joins, vector search, json, change data capture, stored procedures.
  • Only WebSphere eXtreme Scale has role-based access.
  • Hazelcast can run embedded in your application process.

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 websphere-extreme-scale for

  • +HTTP session replication for WebSphere/Liberty clusters
  • +Caching in front of DB2 or Oracle for high-traffic Java apps
  • +Partitioned in-memory object storage for transaction processing

best at · Cache, Sessions, OLTP

overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Document, Vector
Object
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Hazelcast, Inc.
IBM
First release
2008
2009
Latest version
5.7.0 (May 12, 2026)
8.6.2.2 (Jun 30, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules
ProprietaryIBM International Program License Agreement
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
33.5
0.0
Rank
#63
#840
GitHub stars
6.6K
–
Stack Overflow questions
2.9K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual, Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
In memory, Distributed, Embedded, Client server
Distributed, In memory
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
ObjectGrid API, ObjectQuery
Client languages
Java, C#, C++, Python, JavaScript, Go
Java
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Streaming, Real-time analytics
Cache, Sessions, OLTP

Hazelcast vs WebSphere eXtreme Scale: FAQ

What is the difference between Hazelcast and WebSphere eXtreme Scale?

Hazelcast: A Java in-memory data grid and stream processor that embeds in your app or runs as a cluster. WebSphere eXtreme Scale: IBM's Java in-memory data grid for caching, HTTP sessions and partitioned object storage; still patched. Licensing: Hazelcast is open source (permissive) (Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules); WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary (IBM International Program License Agreement). WebSphere eXtreme Scale is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hazelcast (≤ 10 TB). Only Hazelcast has joins, vector search, json, change data capture, stored procedures.

When should I choose Hazelcast over WebSphere eXtreme Scale?

Choose Hazelcast for shared low-latency state for microservices; fraud detection and payment stream processing; and web session clustering for Java app servers. Choose WebSphere eXtreme Scale for HTTP session replication for WebSphere/Liberty clusters, caching in front of DB2 or Oracle for high-traffic Java apps and partitioned in-memory object storage for transaction processing.

Is Hazelcast or WebSphere eXtreme Scale more popular?

Hazelcast ranks #63 on the WhichDB Score (33.5/100) and WebSphere eXtreme Scale ranks #840 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hazelcast and WebSphere eXtreme Scale open source?

Yes. Hazelcast is open source. License: Apache 2.0 (Community); Hazelcast Community License for some modules. No. WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary, closed-source software. License: IBM International Program License Agreement.