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Zaris: a native Redis alternative for .NET

Zaris is a distributed, in-memory key/value store built natively for .NET — a Redis alternative for teams whose stack is .NET. It is replicated, highly available, and self-hosted: data is partitioned across nodes and kept at a configurable replication factor, so a node can fail without data loss or downtime. You run it on Windows, Docker, and Kubernetes, and operate it from a web console, PowerShell, or straight from your application.

Why .NET teams look past Redis​

Redis is excellent — mature, fast, and language-agnostic. But for a .NET team it's a separate world: another runtime to operate, Linux-first, reached through a third-party client library, and awkward to run well on Windows. Zaris closes that gap by being part of the .NET platform itself:

  • Drop-in ASP.NET Core caching — IDistributedCache and HybridCache providers, so existing cache code works unchanged.
  • Native .NET client — real async APIs and .NET types, not a protocol wrapper.
  • First-class Windows, Docker, and Kubernetes — including an official Helm chart.
  • Operable — a web console and PowerShell tooling for cluster/partition health, scaling, and TLS.

Zaris vs Redis​

DimensionRedisZaris
Platform fitLanguage-agnostic C server, Linux-firstNative .NET; runs where your .NET app runs, incl. Windows
.NET integrationThird-party client per appDrop-in IDistributedCache + HybridCache, native async client
High availabilityReplication + Cluster modePartitioned + replicated (configurable RF); no data loss on node loss
OperationsCLI + third-party dashboardsBuilt-in web console + PowerShell
DeploymentStandalone serverWindows installer · Docker Compose · Kubernetes Helm chart (multi-arch)
CoordinationBuilding blocks (MULTI/EXEC, Redlock)First-class: transactions, locks, leader election, leases, counters, rate limiting
SecurityACLs + TLSMutual TLS, pluggable CA trust, token auth
MaturityBattle-tested, huge ecosystemGenerally available (1.1.0), .NET-focused

Switch in a few lines​

Zaris speaks the interfaces ASP.NET Core already uses, so adopting it is mostly configuration:

// Program.cs — Zaris as your IDistributedCache
builder.Services.AddClustronZaris("cache", "zaris://cache-0:7861,cache-1:7861/app");
builder.Services.AddClustronDistributedCache("cache");

// ...then inject IDistributedCache (or HybridCache) and use it exactly as before.

Connection strings are identical in-process, remote, in Docker, and on Kubernetes — zaris://host:7861/store (zariss:// for TLS), with comma-separated seed hosts, automatic failover, and tokens supplied safely via env: or file:.

When to choose which​

Choose Zaris when your services are .NET and you want a native, self-hosted, highly available cache and key/value store — with .NET-first integration and operations, and coordination primitives in the same system.

Choose Redis when you need a battle-tested store shared across many non-.NET languages, rely on Redis-specific data structures or pub/sub, or need the largest possible ecosystem today.

Frequently asked questions​

What is a good Redis alternative for .NET? Zaris — a distributed, in-memory key/value store built natively for .NET. It's replicated, highly available, and self-hosted, with drop-in IDistributedCache/HybridCache and a native async client.

Is there a native .NET distributed cache instead of Redis? Yes. Zaris runs where your .NET app runs (including first-class Windows) and integrates through native .NET types, rather than a separate server reached over a wire protocol.

Is Zaris highly available like Redis? Yes. Data is partitioned and each partition is replicated at a configurable replication factor, so a node can fail without data loss or downtime. The default is 4 nodes at RF 2.

How do I switch from Redis to Zaris in ASP.NET Core? Register the Zaris distributed cache in Program.cs with a zaris:// connection string. Because Zaris implements IDistributedCache and HybridCache, code that depends on those interfaces keeps working.

Get started​