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memcached is a database now? IMHO Redis barely registers as a database; it's more of a shared heap that supports snapshotting. At Instagram we use PostgreSQL,

memcached is a database now? IMHO Redis barely registers as a database; it's more of a shared heap that supports snapshotting. At Instagram we use PostgreSQL, Redis, and Cassandra.

btipling 14y ago
It's a place where data is stored. Wikipedia says "A database is a structured collection of data." I think redis qualifies given that description, but I agree it's different enough to raise eyebrows if someone referred to it as their "database".
- rbranson 14y ago
  By that definition data containers (dictionaries, lists, etc) built into popular languages or standard libraries are databases.
  - philwelch 14y ago
    I think the best defining difference is persistence, which means memcache isn't a database but Redis is.
calinet6 14y ago
Agreed. Regardless of the technical definition of "database," I think the word implies durability in some sense.
petercooper 14y ago
IMHO Redis barely registers as a database; it's more of a shared heap that supports snapshotting. What about Berkeley DB? That has a similar range of functionality yet is cited as 'the most widely used database toolkit.'