Differences Between ActiveSpaces and a Distributed Cache

ActiveSpaces is a distributed data grid that implements a distributed in-memory tuple space.

There are important differences between the ActiveSpaces distributed data grid and a distributed cache.

  • A cache can evict entries at any time if it needs to make room for new entries, but a tuple space data grid does not evict entries Therefore, a distributed cache (like all caches) can only be used in a cache-aside architecture to cache a system of record, and, unlike a data grid, can never be used as a system of record itself.

    Although it is possible to use ActiveSpaces as a distributed cache (in a cache-aside or in a cache-through architecture), the reverse is not true: a distributed cache cannot be used as a system of record.

  • A distributed cache does not have a notification mechanism to proactively inform applications of changes in the data stored in the cache. Unlike ActiveSpaces, a distributed cache cannot be used for distributed process coordination.
Related concepts