Caffeine vs Hazelcast Platform

Caffeine is a free, open-source in-memory caching library for Java, distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. It provides an API inspired by Google Guava and can load entries automatically, including asynchronously. Size-based eviction uses configured limits with frequency and recency, while entries can expire according to time since their last access or write. When a stale entry is first requested, Caffeine can refresh it asynchronously. Other functions include weak keys, weak or soft values, removal notifications, writes to external resources, and cache statistics. The project offers JSR-107 JCache, Guava adapters, and a simulation extension, with community integrations listed for Spring Cache, Play Framework, Micronaut, Quarkus, and Apache Camel. The project directs users to Maven Central and provides Gradle coordinates for the core library and optional extensions. Version 3.x is intended for Java 11 or newer; earlier Java versions use 2.x. Maven Central artifacts are accompanied by GPG and Sigstore signature files according to the security policy.

Hazelcast Platform brings a distributed compute engine and an in-memory data store together for real-time and AI-driven applications. It can process streaming data before storage, supporting action on data in motion, and provides fast reads and writes for interactive request/response workloads. SQL processing, stateful processing, event-time windows, and Java and SQL are listed capabilities. WAN Replication synchronizes clusters and supports automatic failover to a secondary cluster for disaster recovery. Security features include JAAS role-based access controls and TLS encryption for data moving between nodes and applications. The platform runs on public and private clouds, is available through AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure marketplaces, and supports hybrid deployment. Its Kafka Connector processes Apache Kafka topic streams and sends processed data back to Kafka. Hazelcast identifies mission-critical, data-intensive AI workloads as a focus, including use in financial services, retail, supply chain, and healthcare. The platform is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as through an API and self-hosted deployment. A free plan and free 30-day Enterprise trial are listed; the trial requires a requested license key. The annual self-managed subscription includes professional support, with pricing available by request.