Redis vs RocksDB Popularity, Performance, Features, and Applications
Redis is an open-source, in-memory data store used by millions of developers as a database, cache, streaming engine, and message broker.
Redis is popular for real-time applications that require low latency and high throughput.
It is also commonly used for caching database queries, complex computations, API calls, and session state.
On the other hand, RocksDB is an open-source embeddable persistent key-value store for fast storage.
RocksDB uses a log structured database engine, written entirely in C++, for maximum performance. Keys and values are just arbitrarily-sized byte streams.
As an embeddable database, RocksBD can be used as a storage engine within a larger Database Management System.
Comparing databases and choosing which one to learn or use for your next project can be tricky.
There are many factors to consider in order to choose the right database for the job you want to do.
Popularity, opportunities, type of projects, salaries, resources, learning curve, etc. are some of the factors that many people consider when comparing databases and choosing which one to learn or use.
Here are some of the comparisons and considerations you should make when choosing a Database.
REDIS VS ROCKSDB POPULARITY
Comparing the popularity of databases is not an easy task.
Although the primary use of databases is to store and retrieve data, many databases are different in how they approach data storage and retrieval.
As a result, different fields and projects may require the use of different databases. This is why many companies use more than one database.
If you want to learn or use a database solely for its popularity among developers, you should learn and use Redis over RocksDB.
Generally, Redis is more popular than RocksDB. As of September 2023, DB-ENGINES ranks Redis as the 6th most popular database and RocksDB is ranked as the 94th most popular database.
According to a Stack Overflow survey of 2023, Redis is the 6th most popular database, it is used by 20.41% of developers.
On the other hand, RocksDB does not appear in the top 32 databases of this survey.
Ultimately, if your choice of which database to learn or use depends on popularity, you should use Redis over RocksDB.
REDIS VS ROCKSDB WHICH ONE IS EASIER
Some database technologies can be learned more easily than others. Redis is very easy to work with.
Redis is a multi-model database, meaning that it supports a variety of database paradigms.
This makes Redis much easier than RocksDB because Redis allows you to use a database paradigm that you are comfortable with.
RocksDB is an embedded library that requires more knowledge and experience to use. It also has a more complex configuration and management process.
The good news is that there are plenty of helpful resources for both Redis and RocksDB to help you learn these Database technologies.
The Redis and RocksDB communities are very big, active, and helpful, in case you get stuck with something.
REDIS VS ROCKSDB PERFORMANCE
Redis is an in-memory database, and it excels at read-heavy workloads where low-latency access to data is crucial.
It can achieve very high read throughput because data is stored in memory.
RocksDB is designed for write-intensive workloads.
It performs well for scenarios that involve a high volume of write operations because it efficiently writes data to disk and supports various storage engines optimized for different use cases.
REDIS VS ROCKSDB FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS
REDIS
Redis has many amazing features that make it a popular choice for many developers. It comes with a data structure server that supports strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, streams, and more.
Another great feature of Redis is that; it Keeps the dataset in memory for fast access, but it can also persist all writes to permanent storage to survive reboots and system failures.
It is a great fit for use cases that require real-time data processing and analytics.
Redis is used by companies such as Twitter, Pinterest, Craigslist, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Snapchat, and many others.
ROCKSDB
RocksDB is an embedded key-value store, which means it’s often used as a library within other applications rather than a standalone database.
It’s designed for disk-based storage and optimized for write-intensive workloads.
RocksDB is optimized for fast, low-latency storage such as flash drives and high-speed disk drives.
RocksDB exploits the full potential of high read/write rates offered by Flash or RAM.
RocksDB provides an API for C, C++, and Java. There are also bindings for other languages such as Go, Perl, Python, Ruby, Rust, Erlang, Haskell, etc.
RocksDB is used by many companies such as Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Rockset, and many others.
SHOULD I USE REDIS OR ROCKSDB
Once you have compared the databases and evaluated all the factors, you can choose which database technology to learn or use depending on the factors that are on your side and what you want to build.
If your application demands high read performance with low latencies and can fit within available memory, Redis may be the more performant choice.
On the other hand, if you have a write-heavy workload, require data persistence, or need to manage larger datasets, RocksDB may offer better performance.