Microsoft FASTER
deprecatedby Microsoft Research · since 2018 · also known as FASTER, FASTER KV, FasterKV
Microsoft Research's larger-than-memory concurrent KV store and log; superseded by Garnet's Tsavorite.
deprecated. Microsoft marks the repo as no longer actively maintained (last release 2.6.5, May 2024) and recommends Garnet and its Tsavorite engine.
Overview
FASTER is a Microsoft Research library offering FASTER KV, a concurrent key-value store and cache for point lookups and heavy in-place updates, and FASTER Log, a high-throughput persistent log. Its hybrid log spans memory and SSD or cloud storage, so datasets can exceed RAM, and non-blocking checkpoints give consistent recovery; it was used inside Azure services and Durable Functions' Netherite backend. Microsoft now marks the repository as no longer actively maintained and directs users to Garnet, whose Tsavorite storage engine is FASTER's evolution. Existing C# users can keep running the last 2.6.x release but should plan a move.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +Very high throughput for point reads and in-place updates
- +Datasets larger than memory via a hybrid in-memory/on-disk log
- +Non-blocking checkpoints and consistent recovery
- +FASTER Log provides a fast persistent log with low-latency commits
Trade-offs
- −No longer actively maintained by Microsoft
- −No range scans over keys; designed for point operations
- −Complex session and checkpoint API
Great for
- +Existing .NET state stores pending migration to Garnet/Tsavorite
- +High-update-rate counters and caches in .NET
Think twice for
- −New projects (use Garnet)
- −Range-scan or ordered workloads
- −Non-.NET stacks
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 2 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Medium · ≤ 10 TB
- Horizontal scaling
- None
- Multi-region
- No
- Transactions
- Limited ACID
- Consistency
- Strong
- Schema
- Schemaless
- Architecture
- Embedded, In memory
- Query languages
- C# API
Hybrid log spills beyond memory to local SSD or cloud storage.
Deployment
Ecosystem
Alternatives to Microsoft FASTER
Microsoft Research's .NET cache-store that speaks RESP and scales across cores and storage tiers.
microsoft-faster vs garnet →Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases.
microsoft-faster vs rocksdb →Tiny memory-mapped B+tree with ACID transactions and lock-free readers; reached 1.0 in 2026.
microsoft-faster vs lmdb →Pure-Go LSM key-value store that separates keys from values to cut write amplification.
microsoft-faster vs badger →The standard embedded JVM cache, with heap, off-heap and disk tiers and optional Terracotta clustering.
microsoft-faster vs ehcache →Embedded LSM storage engine that writes straight to object storage like S3.
microsoft-faster vs slatedb →Microsoft FASTER FAQ
What is Microsoft FASTER?
Microsoft FASTER is a key-value database by Microsoft Research, first released in 2018. FASTER is a Microsoft Research library offering FASTER KV, a concurrent key-value store and cache for point lookups and heavy in-place updates, and FASTER Log, a high-throughput persistent log. Its hybrid log spans memory and SSD or cloud storage, so datasets can exceed RAM, and non-blocking checkpoints give consistent recovery; it was used inside Azure services and Durable Functions' Netherite backend. Microsoft now marks the repository as no longer actively maintained and directs users to Garnet, whose Tsavorite storage engine is FASTER's evolution. Existing C# users can keep running the last 2.6.x release but should plan a move.
Is Microsoft FASTER open source?
Yes. Microsoft FASTER is open source. License: MIT License.
Does Microsoft FASTER support ACID transactions?
Partly. Microsoft FASTER offers limited ACID guarantees (for example, single-record or single-partition transactions), with strong consistency.
Does Microsoft FASTER scale horizontally?
Microsoft FASTER does not scale horizontally; it runs on a single node, so you scale it up rather than out. It is comfortable at medium scale (≤ 10 TB).
How can I run Microsoft FASTER?
You can self-host it and embed it in your application.
What is Microsoft FASTER best for?
Microsoft FASTER is a strong fit for existing .NET state stores pending migration to Garnet/Tsavorite; and high-update-rate counters and caches in .NET. Think twice for new projects (use Garnet).
What are the best alternatives to Microsoft FASTER?
Common alternatives to Microsoft FASTER include Microsoft Garnet, RocksDB, LMDB, Badger and Ehcache. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
Is Microsoft FASTER still maintained?
Microsoft FASTER is deprecated. Microsoft marks the repo as no longer actively maintained (last release 2.6.5, May 2024) and recommends Garnet and its Tsavorite engine.
How popular is Microsoft FASTER?
Microsoft FASTER ranks #395 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (4.9/100), and #57 among key-value databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.