Redis Alternative for .NET Apps - NCache

10 Reasons Why NCache Shines over Redis

1. 100% Native .NET

NCache is architected from the ground up as a 100% native .NET solution, offering native compatibility and seamless integration with .NET applications. Redis on the other hand is a non-native solution developed in C++ primarily for Linux, and hence its support for .NET is incomplete and half-hearted at best.

This makes NCache an excellent Redis alternative for .NET applications.

2. Strong ASP.NET Core Support

NCache extends robust support for ASP.NET Core as described below:

1. ASP.NET Core Sessions: Provides extremely fast and scalable feature-rich ASP.NET Core session storage with intelligent replication so session data is never lost. NCache session management features include multi-site sessions, session sharing with legacy ASP.NET, session isolation across app domains, intelligent locking, and more.
2. IDistributedCache Interface: Use the IDistributedCache interface and incorporate NCache into your applications without any code change.
3. ASP.NET Core SignalR: Provides support for SignalR and facilitates scalable, real-time communications in ASP.NET Core applications. NCache SignalR module uses Pub/Sub messaging.
4. ASP.NET Response Caching: Optimizes web responsiveness by efficiently caching dynamic content, directly benefiting ASP.NET Core applications in terms of speed and resource management.

This is another reason why NCache is an excellent Redis alternative for .NET applications.

3. High Performance: Client Cache (InProc Speed)

NCache provides Client Cache, mimicking InProc speeds for caching while offering the scalability of distributed caching. This unique feature dramatically boosts performance by caching data being fetched close to the application (even InProc).

A powerful extension of the Client Cache called “Client Cache Full Dataset” preloads and caches entire datasets near the application (even InProc), keeps them synchronized with the distributed cache (including any additions), and lets you query with SQL/LINQ.

4. Robust EF Core Caching (Extension Methods)

Boost the performance and scalability of your Entity Framework (EF) Core applications with NCache. NCache provides a strong and feature-rich integration with EF Core through Extension Methods. This allows NCache to not only cache query results and entities efficiently but also lets you preload entire datasets of reference data in the cache and query them with LINQ.

This is another reason why NCache is a popular Redis alternative for .NET applications.

5. Groups, Tags, and SQL/LINQ Queries

NCache lets you group data and later fetch/query it or update it easily. You can use Groups, Tags, and Named Tags for this purpose.

NCache also offers SQL querying and LINQ querying capabilities, allowing developers to perform complex queries on cached data using familiar syntax. This enriches the data manipulation and retrieval capabilities within .NET applications, providing a level of flexibility and power that Redis, with its more basic data access patterns, cannot match.

6. Advanced Caching Strategies

NCache supports sophisticated caching strategies that are essential for today’s real-life complex .NET applications:

1. Read Through/Write Through: simplify your .NET application code by letting NCache read and write data to your database. Just implement Read-through / Write-through providers in .NET and register them to run on NCache servers in the cluster.
2. Write Behind: Asynchronously does database writes, so your application does not wait for them, and this enhances performance.
3. Loader/Refresher: Automatically pre-load and refresh the cache with loader/refresher, keeping the cached data always available and up-to-date with minimal manual intervention.

7. High Availability: Peer-to-Peer Clustering Architecture

Unlike Redis's master/slave clustering, NCache has a peer-to-peer clustering architecture. This ensures high availability and fault tolerance because every node in the cluster is equal and if this node ever goes down, another node can easily take its place at runtime without stopping anything. This dynamic clustering mechanism eliminates single points of failure and provides a reliable caching solution for .NET applications.

This is another reason why NCache is a strong Redis alternative for .NET applications.

8. WAN Replication for Geo-Distribution

NCache provides an intelligent WAN Replication feature that enables geo-distributed caching, ensuring data consistency across different geographical locations. This is particularly beneficial for .NET applications that require global scalability and real-time data access across multiple regions and availability zones.

9. Powerful Monitoring Tools

NCache Management Center provides comprehensive management and monitoring capabilities, allowing developers and administrators to track cache performance, troubleshoot issues, and fine-tune configurations for optimal efficiency. This level of monitoring capability provides insights into cache utilization and performance metrics, ensuring that .NET applications run smoothly.

10. Strong Windows Support

Originally designed with .NET applications in mind that traditionally ran only on Windows, NCache offers robust support for Windows. This includes optimizations for Windows security, compatibility with Windows management tools, and ensuring a seamless and efficient caching experience for .NET applications running on Windows. NCache also supports Linux.

This is another reason why NCache is a strong Redis alternative for .NET applications running on Windows.