HotKV vs Azure Cache for Redis

An Azure Cache for Redis alternative for the 2028 migration

An Azure Cache for Redis alternative is on many roadmaps now. Microsoft has announced retirement dates for every tier and recommends moving to Azure Managed Redis, a product based on Redis Enterprise software. HotKV is a different route. A multi-threaded engine that speaks the same Redis protocol, on a dedicated machine per instance. The AI command families are built in from the Performance plan up.

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Azure Cache for Redis

a ladder of tiers, each with a date

  1. Basicretires 30 Sep 2028

    open-source Redis, one VM, no SLA

  2. Standardretires 30 Sep 2028

    open-source Redis, two VMs

  3. Premiumretires 30 Sep 2028

    open-source Redis, clustering

  4. Enterpriseretires 31 Mar 2027

    Redis Enterprise, modules

  5. Azure Managed Redisnew product, Redis Enterprise

    Redis Enterprise 7.4, the recommended move

HotKV

one engine, three plans, upgrade in place

  1. Starterevery core

    the full core engine

  2. Performanceevery core

    adds the AI and LLM modules

  3. Scaleevery core

    adds replication, encryption, audit

Same engine on every plan. The multi-threaded core, RESP2 and RESP3, and the 300 core commands do not change when you move up.

An illustration, not a measurement. Dates announced by Microsoft, checked on 21 October 2026. Microsoft has announced retirement dates for every Azure Cache for Redis tier and recommends Azure Managed Redis, which it describes as based on Redis Enterprise software. HotKV plans share one multi-threaded engine and upgrade in place.

This Azure Cache for Redis alternative, run as a single instance on one 160-vCPU machine, led 12 of 12 commands against Redis 8.10.2, at 14.8x to 69.7x the throughput. HotKV was built from source for that CPU. Redis 8.10.2 ran as its stock build. The gap is smaller on small machines.

Drop-in

What stays the same with this Azure Cache for Redis alternative

HotKV implements the Redis wire protocol. Moving from Azure Cache for Redis is usually a change of host and credentials. Check the command reference for anything outside the core set.

Same protocol

Redis-compatible. RESP2 and RESP3 with HELLO negotiation, and HotKV reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clients, so libraries pick their features by it. Connection strings, pipelines, pub/sub and transactions work as they do today.

Same clients and tools

Redis and Valkey client libraries, redis-cli, redis-cli --cluster and GUI tools connect to HotKV without code changes for the core commands.

Same core commands

300 core commands, Lua scripting and function libraries, plus HotKV's own command families when you want them.

the client you already use
$ redis-cli -h <your-hotkv-host> -p 6379 --tls --user app --askpass
> HELLO 3
1# "server" => "hotkv"
2# "version" => "8.4.0"
3# "proto" => (integer) 3
   ... (four more fields)
> SET session:4821 "same protocol, every core"
OK
> GET session:4821
"same protocol, every core"
> TAG.SET session:4821 tenant:acme   # a HotKV command, when you want it
(integer) 1

The case for an Azure Cache for Redis alternative

Why teams look for an Azure Cache for Redis alternative

Documented properties of Azure Cache for Redis that send teams looking for an Azure Cache for Redis alternative, checked on October 21, 2026.

01

Microsoft has announced retirement dates

Microsoft's retirement FAQ, checked on 21 October 2026, states that all Basic, Standard and Premium instances will be retired on 30 September 2028. All Enterprise and Enterprise Flash instances will be retired on 31 March 2027. Microsoft recommends moving to Azure Managed Redis, which it describes as based on Redis Enterprise software. The dates are Microsoft's and may change. Any migration is a moment to weigh an Azure Cache for Redis alternative.

02

One thread on the open-source tiers

Microsoft's own guidance says the Basic, Standard and Premium tiers run open-source Redis, which uses one thread for command processing. It adds that scaling out usually helps more than scaling up. More throughput means more caches to manage.

03

Redis 6.0 on the open-source tiers

The Basic, Standard and Premium tiers run open-source Redis 6.0. Microsoft retired Redis 4.0 on these tiers in June 2023. The Enterprise tiers run Redis Enterprise 7.2. Azure Managed Redis offers Redis 7.4.x. HotKV implements RESP2 and RESP3 with 300 core commands. It reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clients.

04

AI features need the Enterprise tiers, or more services

Search, JSON, probabilistic and time series modules are available on the Enterprise tiers and Azure Managed Redis only. A prompt cache, semantic cache, agent memory and LLM cost tracking are not features of any tier. On HotKV they are command families of the same server. They come with the Performance plan and above.

Measured, not claimed

This Azure Cache for Redis alternative, measured. HotKV vs Redis 8.10.2 on one machine

HotKV Ltd measured Redis 8.10.2, the open-source engine family behind the Basic, Standard and Premium tiers. It ran as a self-hosted single instance on the same machine as HotKV. Azure Cache for Redis itself was not measured. Its open-source tiers run Redis 6.0. Its Enterprise tiers and Azure Managed Redis run Redis Enterprise, which was not measured either. The figures show the engine, the fair baseline for an Azure Cache for Redis alternative.

12 of 12
commands where HotKV measured the highest throughput against Redis
14.8x to 69.7x
HotKV's throughput as a multiple of Redis's, across the 12 commands it led (SET to RPUSH)
None
commands where Redis measured higher

HotKV Ltd built HotKV from source for this CPU. Redis ran as its stock release build. Both ran as single instances. Thread counts followed each product's documented all-core setting and were not tuned per product. The gap is smaller on machines with few cores.

SET14.8x
HotKV
50.5M*
Redis
3.4M
GET32.3x
HotKV
36.6M*
Redis
1.1M
MGET16.6x
HotKV
4.6M*
Redis
278K
SETNX39.6x
HotKV
55.3M*
Redis
1.4M
APPEND16.4x
HotKV
25.1M
Redis
1.5M
INCR43.1x
HotKV
90.8M
Redis
2.1M
LPUSH25.3x
HotKV
31.6M
Redis
1.2M
RPUSH69.7x
HotKV
43.8M
Redis
628K
SADD24.7x
HotKV
50.6M*
Redis
2.1M
HSET54.0x
HotKV
29.0M*
Redis
537K
MSET29.8x
HotKV
11.3M
Redis
379K
PING38.7x
HotKV
125.2M†
Redis
3.2M

Operations per second, median of 3 runs of 10 seconds. Each pair of bars scales to the faster server on that command.

* Network-limited: the instance's network set this result, so the server's own limit is higher.

† Load-generator-limited: the load-generator machines ran above 85% CPU, so this is their ceiling, not the server's.

Azure D160alds_v7 (AMD EPYC 9V45 (Turin), 160 vCPUs), measured October 9, 2026. 256-byte values, pipeline depth 30, 5,000,000 prefilled keys read uniformly at random. Three dedicated load-generator machines. Every server ran alone as a single instance with persistence off. Each got all cores (Redis 128 I/O threads, its maximum). HotKV Ltd built HotKV from source for this CPU and ran Redis as its stock release build. Full method and results · Harness and raw data

Side by side

This Azure Cache for Redis alternative and Azure Cache for Redis, feature by feature

FeatureHotKVAzure Cache for Redis
EngineHotKV, multi-threaded, C++20Open-source Redis 6.0 (Basic, Standard, Premium); Redis Enterprise (Enterprise tiers, Azure Managed Redis)
Command executionMulti-threaded. Every core reads, parses and executes commands on one shared storeOne thread on the open-source tiers; several vCPUs per instance on Redis Enterprise
ProtocolRedis-compatible: RESP2 and RESP3 with HELLO negotiation. Reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clientsRESP2 and RESP3
LifecycleHotKV Cloud (early access) and on-premise, in-place plan upgradesPer Microsoft: retirement announced for all tiers. Basic, Standard and Premium on 30 September 2028, Enterprise tiers on 31 March 2027. Microsoft recommends Azure Managed Redis
Instance modelEvery HotKV Cloud instance is its own isolated machine with dedicated vCores, RAM and diskDedicated cache instances sized by tier, from one VM (Basic) to replicated and clustered caches
BillingPer instance, billed monthly or yearly in advance and priced per region. Outbound traffic is bundled, with top-up packs. When a bundle is used up, outbound traffic pauses. HotKV Cloud does not bill overage on outbound trafficPriced per hour by tier and size, billed per minute. Enterprise tiers add a Redis Enterprise licence bought through Azure Marketplace
Availability SLANone on Starter, 99.9% on Performance, 99.95% on ScaleEvery tier but Basic
PersistenceSnapshots and AOFPremium: RDB and AOF. Enterprise tiers: in preview. Basic and Standard: none
Vector similarity searchBuilt in (HNSW, VSIM.*), every planEnterprise tiers and Azure Managed Redis (RediSearch module)
LLM prompt and semantic cacheBuilt in (PCACHE.*, SCACHE.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudNot an engine feature
AI agent memoryBuilt in (AMEM.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudNot an engine feature
LLM token and cost trackingBuilt in (LLMBUDGET.*, LLMSTATS.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudNot an engine feature
MetricsBuilt in. The server serves /metrics itself once metrics-port is set (on-premise)Azure Monitor metrics
Key taggingYes (TAG.*)No
Nanosecond TTLYes (NEXPIRE, NTTL)No. Millisecond TTLs
ClientsRedis and Valkey client libraries, redis-cli, redis-cli --cluster and GUI tools connect without code changes for the core commandsRedis clients, including StackExchange.Redis

In fairness

Where Azure Cache for Redis is ahead of this Azure Cache for Redis alternative, or simply different

This Azure Cache for Redis alternative page is only useful when it says this part too.

  • Azure Cache for Redis and Azure Managed Redis integrate with Azure. That means Private Link, zone redundancy and active geo-replication on the Enterprise tiers. Azure Managed Redis adds Microsoft Entra ID authentication. If your stack is Azure end to end, that integration has real value.
  • Azure Managed Redis runs Redis Enterprise 7.4 with search, JSON, probabilistic and time series modules. Redis Enterprise also uses several vCPUs per instance. HotKV has Bloom filters, Count-Min sketches and Top-K on every plan and time series from the Performance plan up, but no JSON document type.
  • HotKV Cloud runs on Google Cloud, not Azure. For data that must stay in your Azure subscription, HotKV On-Premise runs the same engine on your own Azure virtual machines under a licence.
  • This Azure Cache for Redis alternative is in early access, with an SLA on Performance and Scale and none on Starter. Azure Cache for Redis is a mature service with an SLA on every tier but Basic.

Moving over

From Azure Cache for Redis to this Azure Cache for Redis alternative in four steps

What switching to an Azure Cache for Redis alternative involves in practice.

  1. 1

    Create an instance

    Pick a region and a plan in the HotKV Cloud console. The instance is a machine of its own, provisioned, patched and monitored for you.

  2. 2

    Point your clients at it

    Keep the client library you already use. Change the host, port and credentials from Azure Cache for Redis to the HotKV instance. TLS and password authentication are on from the start, with ACL users available. An Azure Cache for Redis alternative that speaks the same protocol needs no client changes for the core commands.

  3. 3

    Move the data

    Use the tools you already know. DUMP and RESTORE, MIGRATE, or a replay of your writes all work, because HotKV implements these commands.

  4. 4

    Turn on what was missing

    Vector search and key tagging are core commands on every plan. Prompt and semantic caches, agent memory and LLM cost tracking are commands of the same server on the Performance plan and above. No module, sidecar or second service. That is what an Azure Cache for Redis alternative should add.

Questions

Questions about this Azure Cache for Redis alternative

Will my Azure Cache for Redis clients work with this Azure Cache for Redis alternative?

Yes, for the core commands. The service speaks RESP2 and RESP3, which HotKV implements. StackExchange.Redis and other RESP2 and RESP3 clients connect to a HotKV instance after a change of host and credentials.

Did you benchmark Azure Cache for Redis?

No. HotKV Ltd measured Redis 8.10.2, the open-source engine family behind the Basic, Standard and Premium tiers. It ran as a self-hosted single instance on the same 160-vCPU machine as HotKV. The managed service, its Redis 6.0 builds, and the Redis Enterprise tiers were not measured. The figures describe the engine.

Can an Azure Cache for Redis alternative keep my data in Azure?

HotKV Cloud runs on Google Cloud. If your data must stay in Azure, HotKV On-Premise runs the same engine on virtual machines in your own Azure subscription under a licence.

What happens at the retirement?

Microsoft's retirement FAQ states that Basic, Standard and Premium caches retire on 30 September 2028. It recommends moving to Azure Managed Redis now. That is a different product, based on Redis Enterprise software and billed as a native Azure service. Moving to HotKV is a change of host and credentials for the same clients. The engine is multi-threaded from the start.

Put this Azure Cache for Redis alternative to the test with the clients you already have

HotKV Cloud is opening in waves. Every instance of this Azure Cache for Redis alternative is a dedicated machine with the multi-threaded engine. The AI command families come with the Performance and Scale plans.

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