Time series, in-memory & ledger
Amazon ElastiCache vs Azure Managed Redis
Amazon ElastiCache maps to Azure Managed Redis.
Azure Cache for Redis, the older service, is retiring (Enterprise tiers on March 31, 2027, and Basic, Standard, and Premium tiers on September 30, 2028), so new designs should use Azure Managed Redis.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon ElastiCache | Azure Managed Redis |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Managed in-memory cache with Valkey, Redis OSS, or Memcached engines, available as serverless caches or node-based clusters. | Managed Redis built on Redis Enterprise, in Memory Optimized, Balanced, Compute Optimized, and Flash Optimized tiers, with active geo-replication and Redis modules. It replaces Azure Cache for Redis, whose Enterprise tiers retire Mar 31, 2027 and Basic/Standard/Premium tiers retire Sep 30, 2028. |
| Pricing model | Serverless bills per GB-hour of data stored plus ElastiCache Processing Units. Node-based bills per node-hour (reserved nodes available). Valkey is priced lower than Redis OSS. | Per instance-hour by tier and size, with high availability (two nodes) on by default. |
| Docs | Amazon ElastiCache docs | Azure Managed Redis docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon ElastiCache pricing | Azure Managed Redis pricing |
| Exams | SAA-C03 DVA-C02 Retiring | AZ-305 |
Key differences
- Engines. ElastiCache offers Valkey (the open-source Redis fork AWS now favors, priced lower), Redis OSS, and Memcached. Azure Managed Redis runs Redis Enterprise software, with modules such as search, JSON, and time series. Azure has no managed Memcached.
- Deployment. ElastiCache offers serverless caches (no capacity planning) or node-based clusters. Azure Managed Redis uses fixed SKUs in Memory Optimized, Balanced, Compute Optimized, and Flash Optimized tiers.
- Multi-region. ElastiCache uses Global Datastore (one writable primary Region). Azure Managed Redis supports active geo-replication, where every region can write.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Serverless bills per GB-hour of data stored plus ElastiCache Processing Units. Node-based bills per node-hour (reserved nodes available). Valkey is priced lower than Redis OSS. Amazon ElastiCache pricing →
- Azure
- Per instance-hour by tier and size, with high availability (two nodes) on by default. Azure Managed Redis pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Italian version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate DVA-C02 | AWS | Associate | retiring Being updated to DVA-C03. Registration for DVA-C03 opens Oct 27, 2026. Last day to take DVA-C02 is Nov 30, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 | Azure | Expert | current English version updated Apr 17, 2026. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- Azure Cache for Redis retirement dates are from Microsoft's retirement notice. Plan migrations to Azure Managed Redis.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon ElastiCache?
Amazon ElastiCache maps to Azure Managed Redis. Azure Cache for Redis, the older service, is retiring (Enterprise tiers on March 31, 2027, and Basic, Standard, and Premium tiers on September 30, 2028), so new designs should use Azure Managed Redis.
How does pricing compare between Amazon ElastiCache and Azure Managed Redis?
AWS: Serverless bills per GB-hour of data stored plus ElastiCache Processing Units. Node-based bills per node-hour (reserved nodes available). Valkey is priced lower than Redis OSS. Azure: Per instance-hour by tier and size, with high availability (two nodes) on by default. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) [retiring]; Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).