Caching is a mechanism where you can store frequently accessed data in a data store and retrieve this for subsequent requests instead of extracting it from the original store. Azure Redis Cache comes with a high-performance service.
The process that the application runs is effortless. Once a user uses an application, it tries to read data from the cache, and if unavailable, the application goes to the actual data source and stores data in a cache.
If there’s a next request for the same purpose, the application now quickly retrieves stored information from the cache. Therefore, this improves the availability of an application in the database.
Redis Cache Pricing Tiers for Azure
Azure Redis cache has three pricing tiers with different features.
Basic Cache is ideal for development/test and non-critical workloads. There’s no SLA. You have the option to choose from C0 TO C6. The starting is from C0, which is a shared infrastructure. Above C0 are all dedicated services.
Standard
The Standard tier falls under SLA. It comes with a replicated cache. Data here gets replicated between two nodes. It is best for a production-level interface.
Premium
The premium tier has all the standard features. It has better performance, bigger workloads, enhanced security, and also comes with disaster recovery. You can create and restore Backup and Snapshots in cases of failure.
What Does Redis On Shared Hosting Offers?
Azure Redis Cache provides different levels of size, bandwidth, high availability, and SLA options. Here we have mentioned the consideration for choosing a cache offering before we move to Azure Redis cache pricing.
Memory
With the basic and standard tiers, you get 250 MB-53 GB. The premium tier comes up to 530 GB and more on request.
Network Performance
If the workload requires high throughput, you should go for the Premium tier. It offers more bandwidth as compared to Standard or Basic. Additionally, with each level, go for the larger-sized cache as these have more bandwidth due to the underlying VM that hosts the cache.
SLA
Azure–managed Redis cache guarantees that its Standard/Premium cache will be available at least 99.9% of the time. To know more about SLA, you can see Azure Redis pricing. The SLA only includes connectivity to the Cache endpoints & does not cover protection from data loss.
Redis Cluster
If a customer requires cache that’s larger than 53 GB or wants Redis on shared hosting across Redis nodes, you can go for Redis clustering available in the premium tier.
Security
Azure Virtual Network (VNET) deployment comes with the isolation of Azure Redis Cache and enhanced security.
Number of Connections
The Premium one comes with a maximum number of connections to Redis. As you move high in the slab, you get a higher number of links for larger-sized caches.
Redis Server
The Premium tier has a dedicated core for Redis. In the Basic/Standard levels, the C1 size and higher comes with a dedicated core for the Redis server.
Performance Improvements
Caches for the Premium tier are deployed on the hardware. This comes with a faster processor and provides better performance as compared to the Basic or Standard tier. Besides, the premium tier comes with higher throughput and lower latencies.
How Is the Billing Procedure For Redis Cache Cost?
The pricing lists show all the prices at an hourly rate. The billings are made on a per-minute basis from when the cache is created until the time it is deleted. Likewise, there’s no option for pausing or stopping the billing for a cache.
Monitoring the Health and Performance
You can monitor the Microsoft Azure Redis Cache through the Azure Portal. Customers have the option to view metrics, pin metrics charts to the Starboard, customize the date and time range of monitoring, add and remove metrics from the charts and set alerts when certain conditions are met.