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Infinispan vs WebSphere eXtreme Scale

Infinispan: Red Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server. WebSphere eXtreme Scale: IBM's Java in-memory data grid for caching, HTTP sessions and partitioned object storage; still patched.

key differences

  • Licensing: Infinispan is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary (IBM International Program License Agreement).
  • WebSphere eXtreme Scale is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Infinispan (≤ 10 TB).
  • Only Infinispan has full-text search, vector search, json, pub/sub, durable persistence.
  • Infinispan can run embedded in your application process.

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

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

InfinispanRed Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server.
WebSphere eXtreme ScaleIBM's Java in-memory data grid for caching, HTTP sessions and partitioned object storage; still patched.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Document, Vector
Object
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Red Hat (IBM)
IBM
First release
2009
2009
Latest version
16.3.1 (Oct 20, 2026)
8.6.2.2 (Jun 30, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
ProprietaryIBM International Program License Agreement
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
28.8
0.0
Rank
#93
#840
GitHub stars
1.4K
–
Stack Overflow questions
1.1K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
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
–
–
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
Ickle (JPQL-like), Redis commands (RESP)
ObjectGrid API, ObjectQuery
Client languages
Java, C#, C++, JavaScript, Python
Java
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub
Cache, Sessions, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Infinispan vs WebSphere eXtreme Scale: FAQ

What is the difference between Infinispan and WebSphere eXtreme Scale?

Infinispan: Red Hat's open-source distributed cache and key-value store, embeddable or as a RESP-compatible server. WebSphere eXtreme Scale: IBM's Java in-memory data grid for caching, HTTP sessions and partitioned object storage; still patched. Licensing: Infinispan is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary (IBM International Program License Agreement). WebSphere eXtreme Scale is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Infinispan (≤ 10 TB). Only Infinispan has full-text search, vector search, json, pub/sub, durable persistence.

When should I choose Infinispan over WebSphere eXtreme Scale?

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. 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 Infinispan or WebSphere eXtreme Scale more popular?

Infinispan ranks #93 on the WhichDB Score (28.8/100) and WebSphere eXtreme Scale ranks #840 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Infinispan and WebSphere eXtreme Scale open source?

Yes. Infinispan is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. No. WebSphere eXtreme Scale is proprietary, closed-source software. License: IBM International Program License Agreement.