Amazon MemoryDB Features

Amazon MemoryDB is a Valkey and Redis OSS compatible, durable, in-memory database service that delivers ultra-fast performance. It is purpose-built for modern applications with microservices architectures.

Amazon MemoryDB is compatible with Valkey and Redis OSS, customers to quickly build applications using the same flexible and friendly Valkey and Redis OSS data structures, APIs, and commands that they already use today. With Amazon MemoryDB, all of your data is stored in memory, which enables you to achieve microsecond read and single-digit millisecond write latency and high throughput. Amazon MemoryDB also stores data durably across multiple Availability Zones (AZs) using a distributed transactional log to enable fast failover, database recovery, and node restarts. Delivering both in-memory performance and Multi-AZ durability, Amazon MemoryDB can be used as a high-performance primary database for your microservices applications eliminating the need to separately manage both a cache and durable database.

Valkey and Redis OSS are fast, open source, in-memory, key-value data stores. Developers use Valkey and Redis OSS to achieve sub-millisecond response times, enabling millions of requests per second for real-time applications in industries like gaming, ad tech, financial services, healthcare, and IoT. 

Valkey and Redis OSS offer flexible APIs, commands, and data structures like streams, sets, and lists, to build agile and versatile applications. MemoryDB maintains compatibility with Valkey and Redis OSS and supports the same set of Valkey and Redis OSS data types, parameters, and commands that you are familiar with. This means that the code, applications, drivers, and tools you already use today with Valkey and Redis OSS can be used with MemoryDB, so you can quickly build applications.

In addition to storing your entire data set in memory, MemoryDB uses a distributed transactional log to provide data durability, consistency, and recoverability. MemoryDB stores data across multiple AZs so you can achieve fast database recovery and restart. You can use MemoryDB as a single, primary database service for your workloads requiring low-latency and high throughput instead of separately managing a cache for speed and an additional relational or nonrelational database for reliability.

You can scale your MemoryDB cluster to meet fluctuating application demands: horizontally by adding or removing nodes, or vertically by moving to larger or smaller node types. MemoryDB supports write scaling with sharding and read scaling by adding replicas. Your cluster continues to stay online and support read and write operations during resizing operations.

Getting started with MemoryDB is easy. Just launch a new MemoryDB cluster using the Amazon Web Services Management Console, or you can use the Amazon CLI or SDK. MemoryDB database instances are pre-configured with parameters and settings appropriate for the node type select. You can launch a cluster and connect your application within minutes without additional configuration.

MemoryDB provides Amazon CloudWatch metrics for your database instances. You can use the Amazon Web Services Management Console to view over 35 key operational metrics for your cluster including compute, memory, storage, throughput, active connections, and more.

MemoryDB automatically keeps your clusters up-to-date with new updates, and you can easily upgrade your clusters to the latest versions of Valkey and Redis OSS.

MemoryDB runs in Amazon VPC, which allows you to isolate your database in your own virtual network and connect to your on-premises IT infrastructure using industry-standard, encrypted IPsec VPNs. In addition, using MemoryDB’s VPC configuration, you can configure firewall settings and control network access to your database instances.

With MemoryDB, data at-rest is encrypted using keys you create and control through Amazon Key Management Service (KMS). And, clusters created with Amazon Web Services Graviton2 node types include always-on 256-bit DRAM encryption. MemoryDB supports encryption in-flight using Transport Layer Security (TLS).

MemoryDB uses Valkey and Redis OSS Access Control Lists (ACLs) to control both authentication and authorization for your cluster. ACLs enable you to define different permissions for different users in the same cluster.

Amazon MemoryDB provides native support for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents in addition to the data structures included in open source Valkey and Redis OSS, at no additional cost. You can simplify developing applications by using the built-in commands designed and optimized for JSON documents. MemoryDB supports partial JSON document updates, as well as powerful searching and filtering using the JSONPath query language. JSON support is available when using Valkey and Redis OSS 6.2 and above. For more information, see the MemoryDB documentation.

MemoryDB offers reserved nodes that allow you to save up to 55% over on-demand node prices in exchange for a usage commitment over a one- or three-year term. Reserved nodes are complementary to MemoryDB on-demand nodes and give businesses flexibility to help reduce costs. MemoryDB provides three reserved node payment options — No Upfront, Partial Upfront, and All Upfront — that enable you to balance the amount you pay upfront with your effective hourly price.

MemoryDB reserved nodes offer size flexibility within a node family and Amazon Web Services region. This means that the discounted reserved node rate will be applied automatically to usage of all sizes in the same node family. The size flexibility capability reduces the time that you need to spend managing your reserved nodes and since you’re no longer tied to a specific database node size, you can get the most out of your discount even if your database needs updates.