Best Key Value Databases
Key value databases save data as associative arrays where a single value is associated together with a key used as a signifier for the value. No two keys necessarily need the same structure, so data is simply accumulated into a single, large table. Database administrators can quickly pull the data by identifying a specific key. A query language is not necessary when retrieving data, which provides convenience for users who are lacking query language knowledge. Key value databases can also be used for web caches. Key value databases are a type of NoSQL database and are the least structured of the schemaless data stores. Other types of NoSQL tools include document database tools, graph database tools, object-orientated database tools and more. Those who need a solution at no cost can look at free database software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Key-Value Store category, a product must:
Best Key Value Databases At A Glance
G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.
Amazon DynamoDB is a pioneering NoSQL, fully managed, serverless database with limitless scalability and single-digit millisecond latency performance enabling customers to develop modern, microservice
DynamoDB is a fully managed, serverless database service that offers automatic scaling, high performance, low latency, and flexible data model. Reviewers like the automatic scaling, high performance, low latency, and the flexibility of the data model, as well as its easy integration and high availability. Reviewers noted limitations in query capabilities, challenges in cost management, item size limit, and complexities in backup and restore costs.
2,220,322 Twitter followers
ScyllaDB is a specialty database for workloads that require predictable performance at scale. It’s adopted by organizations that require ultra-low latency, even at millions of features or operations p
29,624 Twitter followers
Amazon ElastiCache is a fully managed service that makes it easy to deploy, operate, and scale an in-memory data store and cache in the cloud. Often working in conjunction with other AWS database and
2,220,322 Twitter followers
Azure Table storage stores large amounts of structured data. The service is a NoSQL datastore which accepts authenticated calls from inside and outside the Azure cloud.
13,090,136 Twitter followers
Redis Cloud is our fully-managed Redis Enterprise service, delivering unmatched speed, simplicity, and scalability. It's perfect for cloud-native applications requiring real-time data processing, with
43,979 Twitter followers
Redis Software is our advanced solution delivering unmatched speed and reliability for on-prem and private cloud environments. It gives you full control over your deployment, ensuring high performance
43,979 Twitter followers
Cloud Memorystore for Redis provides a fully managed in-memory data store service built on scalable, secure, and highly available infrastructure managed by Google. Use Cloud Memorystore to build appli
31,798,732 Twitter followers
Azure Redis Cache is a secure data cache and messaging broker that provides high throughput and low-latency access to data for applications.
13,090,136 Twitter followers
InterSystems IRIS is a complete cloud-first data platform that includes a multi-model transactional data management engine, an application development platform, and interoperability engine, and an ope
InterSystems IRIS is a database management system that provides support for sectors like finance and automotive where downtime isn't an option. Users frequently mention the high performance, ease of infrastructure scalability, and the excellent support provided by the InterSystems team, along with the built-in programming language and features that are powerful and efficient. Reviewers experienced a steep learning curve for newer features or complex cloud configurations, lack of online tutorials and discussions covering the development process, and high licensing costs.
61,616 Twitter followers
Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed, globally distributed NoSQL and vector database service designed to support mission-critical applications with ultra-low latency and elastic scalability. It enables
13,090,136 Twitter followers
BoltDB is an embedded key/value database for Go.
320 Twitter followers
Couchbase’s operational data platform for AI is a scalable foundation for enterprise operational, analytical, mobile and AI workloads that replaces legacy infrastructure and data services.
136,485 Twitter followers
Arango provides a trusted data foundation for Contextual AI — transforming enterprise data into a System of Context that truly represents the business, so LLMs can deliver better outcomes with unlimit
The Aerospike Real-time Data Platform enables organizations to act instantly across billions of transactions while reducing server footprint by up to 80 percent. The Aerospike multi-cloud platform pow
7,850 Twitter followers
Oracle Coherence is a in-memory data grid solution that enables organizations to predictably scale mission-critical applications by providing fast access to frequently used data.
825,410 Twitter followers
Learn More About Key Value Databases
What are Key Value Databases?
Key value databases are arguably the simplest of NoSQL databases. Unlike relational databases, which rely on primary and foreign keys to be able to find and connect data, key value databases utilize a single main identifier—the key—and associate that with a data point, array of data, or blob—a value. Key value databases can only be queried by the key itself. Key names can be uniform resource identifiers or URI, hashes, filenames, or anything else that is entirely unique from other keys. In the same way, values can be just about any data.
Key Benefits of Key Value Databases
- Simple and lightweight
- Built for speed
- Data type-agnostic
Why Use Key Value Databases?
Key value databases are designed for speed. Because they require minimal input for querying compared to other databases, and because they store so simply, key value databases can return query results near instantly.
Key value databases are optimal for situations with constant read/write operations or situations requiring low latency and lower operational demand than a relational database. Some example use cases follow.
E-commerce shopping carts — Key value databases work fantastically for temporary, lightweight listings, which makes them perfect for storing customer shopping carts while they order products online.
Online session information — Need to be able to keep a log of user session data over the course of being logged onto a device, utilizing your website, etc.? Key value databases make it simple to track and store activity information, including which pages were accessed, on-page actions a user took, and more. This information can fuel customer product recommendations, inform trends, and create more data-driven insights for businesses.
Cache — Key value databases are a great option for storing information that gets accessed often but rarely, if ever, gets modified. So, key value databases can serve as effective cache in these situations.
Who Uses Key Value Databases?
Like most other databases, database administrators and teams are the ones who will most often interact with key-value store solutions. That being said, developers and support teams will also use these solutions frequently – developers, for integrating databases with their code, and support teams, for root cause investigation, troubleshooting, etc. Key value databases in particular might not have as wide a usage range outside these groups because of, oddly enough, their simplicity. They’re not as applicable as some kinds of databases—like relational or graph—in more general business settings that lean into more tabular or relationship-oriented data grouping, or that might need often and significant editing.
Key Value Databases Features
In-memory residence — Most value databases are built in such a way that they can be run in-memory as opposed to off a storage drive. This improves transaction speeds and also is a testament to the lightweight nature of these databases.
Speed — Whether a user is writing to the database or querying from it, key-value databases offer greater speed and responsiveness compared to other kinds of databases.
Scalability — No matter how much data may need to go into the database, value databases will be able to keep up.
Integration — Key value databases should be able to integrate easily with other systems and tools. Should there be specific integrations you’d need your key-value store to have, check with both the key-value store vendor and community, as well as those of any solutions with which you might be integrating.
Other Features of Key Value Databases: Audit logs, Authentication, Integrated cache, Multi-model, Role-based authorization
Potential Issues with Key Value Databases
Value returns — Most value databases, when queried, return the entire value associated with a key. While generally this is beneficial, if you’ve stored multiple pieces of information within a single value, querying for its key may return more information than you wanted. If planning to use a key-value database to store multiple items of information within a value, be sure that the database you choose has the ability to sift information out of an array value, or you have an alternate way to compensate for an array of information being returned.
Value updates — Key value databases, by nature of their design, require that the entire value be updated when a value is modified. If you anticipate your values consistently having multiple pieces of information within them, consider a key-value database that will let you have more fine-tuned control over modification, or perhaps consider a different type of database altogether. If you anticipate constant modifications and numerous pieces of information being associated to a single identifying data point (key), perhaps consider a relational, graph, or document database instead.
