Installation & Setup

Installation Methods

Docker

The easiest and most portable way to run Redis:

docker run -d --name redis-stack -p 6379:6379 -p 8001:8001 redis/redis-stack:latest

This starts:

• Redis Server on port 6379 (for commands)
• Redis Stack UI on port 8001 (web dashboard)

Connect to CLI:

docker exec -it redis-stack redis-cli

macOS (Homebrew)

Install Redis using Homebrew:

# Install Redis
brew install redis

# Start Redis as a background service
brew services start redis

# Or run Redis manually (foreground)
redis-server

Connect to CLI:

redis-cli

Stop Redis:

brew services stop redis

Ubuntu / Debian (apt)

Install Redis from the official repository:

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install Redis
sudo apt install redis-server -y

# Start Redis service
sudo systemctl start redis-server

# Enable Redis to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable redis-server

# Check status
sudo systemctl status redis-server

Connect to CLI:

redis-cli

Configuration file: /etc/redis/redis.conf

CentOS / RHEL / Fedora (dnf/yum)

# For CentOS/RHEL 8+ or Fedora
sudo dnf install redis -y

# For CentOS/RHEL 7
sudo yum install epel-release -y
sudo yum install redis -y

# Start Redis
sudo systemctl start redis

# Enable on boot
sudo systemctl enable redis

# Check status
sudo systemctl status redis

Connect to CLI:

redis-cli

Windows

Option A: WSL2 (Recommended)

Install Redis inside Windows Subsystem for Linux:

# In WSL2 Ubuntu terminal
sudo apt update
sudo apt install redis-server -y

# Start Redis
sudo service redis-server start

# Connect
redis-cli

Option B: Memurai (Native Windows)

Memurai is a Redis-compatible server for Windows:

1. Download from https://www.memurai.com/get-memurai
2. Run the installer
3. Memurai runs as a Windows service automatically

# Connect using redis-cli (included)
redis-cli

Option C: Docker Desktop for Windows

docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:latest
docker exec -it redis redis-cli

Build from Source

For the latest version or custom builds:

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential tcl -y  # Ubuntu/Debian
# or
sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools" -y  # Fedora/CentOS

# Download and extract
wget https://download.redis.io/redis-stable.tar.gz
tar xzf redis-stable.tar.gz
cd redis-stable

# Compile
make
make test  # Optional but recommended

# Install (copies binaries to /usr/local/bin)
sudo make install

# Run Redis
redis-server

# In another terminal
redis-cli

Redis Cloud (Managed Service)

For production without infrastructure management:

1. Sign up at redis.com/try-free
2. Create a free database (30MB)
3. Get your connection string:

redis-cli -h <your-endpoint> -p <port> -a <password>

Or in your application:

redis://<username>:<password>@<endpoint>:<port>

Verify Installation

Regardless of installation method:

PING
# Returns: PONG ✓

If you see PONG, Redis is running and ready.

Basic Commands

Redis stores key-value pairs. By convention, keys follow the pattern <entity>:<id> — Redis automatically groups keys by their prefix in tools like Redis Stack UI.

Example: Storing user names

SET user:1 "Mehedi"
SET user:2 "Hasan"
SET user:3 "John"

GET user:1              # Returns: "Mehedi"
GET user:2              # Returns: "Hasan"

Redis stack UI after auto groupt based on user.

Configuration

Default Ports

• 6379 — Redis server
• 8001 — Redis Stack UI (Docker only)
• 16379 — Redis Cluster bus

Key Configuration Options

Edit /etc/redis/redis.conf (Linux) or pass flags:

# Bind to all interfaces (for remote access)
redis-server --bind 0.0.0.0

# Set password
redis-server --requirepass yourpassword

# Set max memory
redis-server --maxmemory 256mb

# Persist data
redis-server --appendonly yes

Connect with Password

redis-cli -a yourpassword
# or
redis-cli
AUTH yourpassword

Stopping Redis

Docker:

docker stop redis-stack
docker start redis-stack  # Restart
docker rm -f redis-stack  # Remove

macOS (Homebrew):

brew services stop redis

Linux (systemd):

sudo systemctl stop redis-server

Manual:

redis-cli SHUTDOWN

Access Redis Stack UI

If using Docker with redis-stack:

http://localhost:8001

Features:

• Browse keys and values
• Execute commands
• Monitor performance
• Explore data structures visually