NCache is an in-memory distributed cache for .NET, Java, Node.js, Python and Scala. It is an extremely fast, linearly scalable cache memory store that caches application data to reduce expensive database trips.
NCache, being the market leader for .NET applications, has a huge and diverse customer base with different caching needs. To meet all these different needs NCache offers two editions named “NCache Professional” and “NCache Enterprise. Both editions offer different feature sets fulfilling client needs.
NCache Professional Edition
The NCache Professional edition is suitable for businesses that require an economical and scalable distributed caching solution. It offers application data caching to reduce expensive database trips and provides linear scalability for your applications.
The edition provides an interface for Distributed Caching, basic Session Storage, Response Caching, and SignalR Backplane for its ASP.NET Core clients. For ASP .NET clients the edition has nothing less to offer including basic Session Storage, basic View State to preserve the state of your web page, Output Caching, and SignalR Backplane.
For .NET and .NET Core integrations, NCache provides basic support for EF Core Cache and NHibernate Cache. For easy migration from App Fabric to NCache, NCache Professional edition provides AppFabric Wrapper that helps you migrate to NCache without any code changes.
NCache Professional edition also supports basic Pub/Sub Messaging, Full-Text Searching Distributed Lucene, JSON API, JSON Serialization, Auto-Cache Startup, and PowerShell Cmdlet Tools. The edition also provides NCache Cloud Services for Azure, AWS and other clouds.
NCache Enterprise Edition
The NCache Enterprise edition is an excellent caching solution for well-established and growing businesses. The edition includes all the NCache features including annual maintenance and regular support. It supports caching topologies like Partition-Replica Cache and Mirrored Cache to ensure high availability, along with Bridge Topology for WAN replication.
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Figure 1: NCache Partition-Replica Cache
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Figure 2: NCache Mirrored Cache
The edition also provides the Split-Brain Detection and Recovery feature for 100% uptime, advanced and multi-site support for ASP.NET & ASP.NET Core Sessions, GUI manager for NCache. NCache Enterprise edition also provides security and encryption to meet all your security needs.
Along with the support for the mentioned features, the NCache Enterprise edition also provides paid annual maintenance and 24×7 support for bug fixing and feature upgrades.
Why Upgrade to NCache Enterprise?
If your resource audit has surprised you by showing that you are spending a great amount of time and finances on just maintaining your cache rather than improving your application then this is an indicator that NCache Professional is no longer the best choice for your growing business needs and NCache Enterprise is now the ideal caching solution for your scaling infrastructure and expanding business. Following are the indicators telling you that you really need to upgrade:
Consistent Uptimes
When you know that you have a customer base where “going down” is not an option. But your scaling infrastructure and extended customer base are causing frequent downtimes. Then it’s time to beat downtimes by going up with NCache Enterprise!
The NCache Enterprise edition ensures high availability with its efficient distributed caching technologies including Partition-Replica Cache and Mirrored Cache. NCache also provides Bridge topology to ensure high availability even if your cache is distributed in distant geographical locations.
NCache Enterprise edition ensures 100% uptime with its Split-Brain Detection and Recovery feature to meet your advanced caching needs.
Figure 3: Split Brain Detection and Recovery
Digital Transformation
If you are planning to serve a different market and thinking to transform the nature of your services, then along with redefining your application’s design and architecture, you need to upgrade your cache as well.
Figure 4: NCache Manager
NCache Enterprise edition offers a flexible deployment mechanism along with features: like Advanced Pub/Sub Messaging, GUI-based NCache manager and monitor, and Live Upgrade. It also provides 24×7 support and maintenance for timely bug fixes and the issuance of private patches on critical bug fixes.
Efficient Search Capability
If you have started noticing that the size of your database along with its complexity is increasing with time and your reads are taking too much time. Then you surely need a cache with efficient and strong search capabilities and NCache Enterprise offers you such capabilities with its Full-Text Searching Distributed Lucene to perform full-text searching.
NCache has implemented Lucene API.NET in its native form over its In-Memory Distributed Cache (hence the name Distributed Lucene). This has transformed the stand-alone Lucene into an extremely fast and linearly scalable full text searching solution for .NET / .NET Core applications. And, due to the native Lucene API, you don’t have to make any code changes to your .NET Lucene applications to use it with NCache.
Figure 5: NCache Distributed Lucene Architecture
Data Security is a Priority
If you are dealing with critical data or you don’t want everyone to have administrative access rights to your cache server other than the list of authorized users – then take no longer to upgrade to the NCache Enterprise.
NCache provides powerful security and encryption features that help ensure that your cache is protected from unauthorized access. NCache works with any LDAP supported Directory Services. All users are authenticated against LDAP-supported Directory Services. It provides the support of two LDAP domain controllers (primary and secondary) to ensure fault tolerance in your managerial and API-level operations.
Figure 6: NCache Security and Encryption
NCache Enterprise edition provides you with a security feature with different levels of granularity that you can implement as per your requirements.
Conclusion
NCache Professional and Enterprise both editions offer a great feature set for their users. But, a fair analysis of your business needs now and then helps you make the right choices. If you’re noticing that your caching needs are evolving, then don’t hesitate to opt NCache Enterprise Edition, as it promises smooth scalability and ensures high availability to meet all your caching needs.
