Caffeine vs Infinispan

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.

Infinispan is a free, open-source distributed in-memory database that combines caching with full-text and vector search. Its search capabilities include distributed vector indexes, kNN similarity queries, semantic search, retrieval-augmented generation, and semantic caching. Applications can connect through Hot Rod, REST, Redis, or Memcached, with listed client libraries for Java, Go, JavaScript, C++, .NET, and Python. It can run as an embedded library, standalone server, or container image. Deployment options include a Kubernetes Operator and container images on OpenShift, AWS EC2, Azure, and GCP. Listed cache stores include filesystem, JDBC, SQL, RocksDB, and remote Infinispan clusters. Security features include role- and permission-based access control, security realms, and encryption for inter-cluster traffic and remote endpoints. It supports distributed transactions with optimistic or pessimistic locking, configurable isolation levels, and XA recovery. Native integrations listed include Spring AI, LangChain4j, LangChain, and Quarkus LangChain4j. Infinispan is released under the Apache 2.0 license. Its support policy covers only the latest minor release of a major version, with full, limited, and limited-client support distinctions.