Apache Traffic Server vs Memcached
Apache Traffic Server
trafficserver.apache.orgMemcached
memcached.orgSide by side
| Figure | Apache Traffic Server | Memcached |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Caching Software | 8.9 (#2) | 7.9 (#10) |
| Installation | The project distributes source tarballs and repository code rather than project-provided binary downloads; installation uses CMake. | The downloads page provides a source tarball and installation instructions, including package prerequisites for Debian/Ubuntu and Red Hat/CentOS. |
| Performance | The project says ATS scales on modern SMP hardware and handles tens of thousands of requests per second. | The documentation says queries on slow machines should run well under 1 ms and high-end servers can serve millions of keys per second. |
| Purpose | Apache Traffic Server is a fast, scalable, extensible HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 caching proxy server. | Memcached is a distributed in-memory key-value cache intended to speed up dynamic web applications by reducing database load. |
| Support | Users can seek help through the Users Mailing List or ASF Slack, and code questions through the developers discussion list. | The project directs users to its Discord chat, documentation, and mailing list for questions, and points to Cache Forge for business support. |
Plans
In their own words
Apache Traffic Server
Apache Traffic Server is a free, open-source caching proxy server for HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2. It stores frequently requested pages, images, and web service calls so they can be reused, with the stated aims of improving response time and reducing server load and bandwidth needs. It can also add keep-alive behavior, filter or anonymize requests, and balance traffic through a proxy layer. Deployment patterns include web proxy cache, reverse proxy, and cache hierarchy. As a layer 7 HTTP load balancer, it can choose next-hop servers using request attributes, weighted round robin, or URL consistent hashing. Plug-in APIs let teams add behavior such as changing headers, handling ESI requests, or implementing cache algorithms. Security options include client access controls and authentication, SSL termination, and SSL-based access control. It is self-hosted, with Linux and macOS listed as platforms. The project identifies enterprises, internet service providers, backbone providers, and large intranets as its intended audience. The listed stable release is 10.2.0; 9.2.15 is listed as the long-term support release.
Memcached
Memcached is a free, self-hosted in-memory key-value cache for reducing database load in dynamic web applications. It keeps small chunks of arbitrary data, such as strings, objects, and results from database calls, API calls, or page rendering. Clients use key-based hashing to choose a server, while servers operate independently without synchronization or replication. Items can expire after a specified time, and the default eviction policy is least recently used (LRU). The project describes Memcached as a developer tool, not code acceleration software or database middleware. Its API is available for most popular languages, and downloads include a source tarball and installation instructions with package prerequisites for Debian/Ubuntu and Red Hat/CentOS. TLS authentication and encryption are supported in version 1.5.13 and later when built with TLS and used with a TLS-capable client. Optional extstore moves values to external storage while keeping keys and the hash table in memory; it needs version 1.6.0 or newer. The project began in 2003. It is free and self-hosted, with no hosted plan or price listed.