Azure Cache for Redis provides an in-memory data store based on the Redis software. Redis improves the performance and scalability of an application that uses backend data stores heavily. It's able to process large volumes of application requests by keeping frequently accessed data in the server memory, which can be written to and read from quickly. Redis brings a critical low-latency and high-throughput data storage solution to modern applications.

Azure Cache for Redis offers both the Redis open-source (OSS Redis) and a commercial product from Redis Inc. (Redis Enterprise) as a managed service. It provides secure and dedicated Redis server instances and full Redis API compatibility. The service is operated by Microsoft, hosted on Azure, and usable by any application within or outside of Azure.

Azure Cache for Redis can be used as a distributed data or content cache, a session store, a message broker, and more. It can be deployed as a standalone. Or, it can be deployed along with other Azure database services, such as Azure SQL or Azure Cosmos DB.