---
title: "NumKong vs redis"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ashvardanian-numkong-vs-redis-redis"
tools: ["ashvardanian-numkong", "redis-redis"]
---

# NumKong vs redis

*GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick NumKong when license: NumKong is Apache-2.0, redis is Other; pick redis when license: redis is Other, NumKong is Apache-2.0.

[NumKong](https://ashvardanian.com/posts/numkong) reports 1.8k GitHub stars, 124 forks, and 30 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. [redis](http://redis.io) has 75k stars, 25k forks, and 2.9k open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [NumKong's repository](https://github.com/ashvardanian/NumKong) and [redis's repository](https://github.com/redis/redis).

| | [NumKong](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong.md) | [redis](/tools/redis-redis.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | SIMD-accelerated distances, dot products, matrix ops, geospatial & geometric kernels for 16 numeric types — from 6-bit floats to 64-bit complex — across x86, Arm, RISC-V, and WASM, with bindings for P | Redis is a preferred cache, data structure server, and document & vector query engine for real-time applications. |
| Stars | 1,845 | 75,394 |
| Forks | 124 | 24,718 |
| Open issues | 30 | 2,867 |
| Language | C | C |
| Adopt for | - | Redis is an in-memory database designed as a versatile cache and data structure store with advanced features such as JSON operations and vector searches, making it suitable for real-time applications. |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Categories | Data & Retrieval, Evaluation & Observability, Vector Databases | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [NumKong](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong.md) | [redis](/tools/redis-redis.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Days since push | 1d | 0d |
| Open issues (now) | 30 | 2.9k |
| Owner type | User | Organization |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/redis-redis/trust.md) |

## Decision facts: redis

- **Adopt for:** Redis is an in-memory database designed as a versatile cache and data structure store with advanced features such as JSON operations and vector searches, making it suitable for real-time applications.

## Choose when

### Choose NumKong if…

- License: NumKong is Apache-2.0, redis is Other.
- Tags unique to NumKong: arm-neon, assembly, blas, cpp.
- Also covers Evaluation & Observability.

### Choose redis if…

- License: redis is Other, NumKong is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to redis: cache, caching, database, in-memory.
- You need high-speed access to frequently used data due to Redis's in-memory nature.

## When NOT to use NumKong

- Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough.
- Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers.
- Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate.

## When NOT to use redis

- Your project has limited memory resources since Redis relies on in-memory storage, which could lead to high costs or operational challenges with large datasets.
- You prioritize persistence over speed; while Redis offers persistence options, its primary design is for real-time access and not robust disk-based backup solutions like traditional SQL databases.
- Your application workload does not benefit from the fast read/write capabilities and rich data structure support offered by Redis, possibly implying that a less specialized database would suffice.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between NumKong and redis?

NumKong: SIMD-accelerated distances, dot products, matrix ops, geospatial & geometric kernels for 16 numeric types — from 6-bit floats to 64-bit complex — across x86, Arm, RISC-V, and WASM, with bindings for P. redis: Redis is a preferred cache, data structure server, and document & vector query engine for real-time applications.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose NumKong over redis?

Choose NumKong over redis when License: NumKong is Apache-2.0, redis is Other; Tags unique to NumKong: arm-neon, assembly, blas, cpp; Also covers Evaluation & Observability.

### When should I choose redis over NumKong?

Choose redis over NumKong when License: redis is Other, NumKong is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to redis: cache, caching, database, in-memory; You need high-speed access to frequently used data due to Redis's in-memory nature.

### When should I avoid NumKong?

Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers. Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate.

### When should I avoid redis?

Your project has limited memory resources since Redis relies on in-memory storage, which could lead to high costs or operational challenges with large datasets. You prioritize persistence over speed; while Redis offers persistence options, its primary design is for real-time access and not robust disk-based backup solutions like traditional SQL databases. Your application workload does not benefit from the fast read/write capabilities and rich data structure support offered by Redis, possibly implying that a less specialized database would suffice.

### Is NumKong or redis more popular on GitHub?

redis has more GitHub stars (75,394 vs 1,845). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are NumKong and redis open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (NumKong: Apache-2.0, redis: Other).

### Where can I find alternatives to NumKong or redis?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [NumKong alternatives](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong/alternatives) and [redis alternatives](/tools/redis-redis/alternatives) ([NumKong markdown twin](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong/alternatives.md), [redis markdown twin](/tools/redis-redis/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.

### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?

Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/ashvardanian-numkong-vs-redis-redis.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, NumKong or redis?

NumKong: Very active. redis: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.

### Where are the full trust reports for NumKong and redis?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [NumKong trust report](/tools/ashvardanian-numkong/trust); [redis trust report](/tools/redis-redis/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ashvardanian-numkong`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ashvardanian-numkong)
- LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt)
- Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt)

_GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_