valkey-server

In-memory key-value data store server

TLDR

Start server with defaults

$ valkey-server

Start with configuration file

$ valkey-server [/etc/valkey/valkey.conf]

Start on specific port

$ valkey-server --port [6379]

Start with password

$ valkey-server --requirepass [password]

Start with max memory limit

$ valkey-server --maxmemory [256mb]

Start in protected mode disabled

$ valkey-server --protected-mode no

Start as daemon

$ valkey-server --daemonize yes

Start with persistence

$ valkey-server --appendonly yes

SYNOPSIS

valkey-server [config-file] [options]

valkey-server is the server component of Valkey, an open-source in-memory data store forked from Redis. It provides high-performance key-value storage with support for strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, and more.
Valkey is fully compatible with Redis OSS 7.2 and earlier versions. Existing Redis clients, applications, and tools work with Valkey by simply changing the connection endpoint.
The server supports persistence through RDB snapshots and AOF (Append Only File). Clustering and replication enable high availability and horizontal scaling.
Valkey 8.0+ includes enhanced multi-threaded I/O and improved memory efficiency over Redis.

PARAMETERS

--port port

Listen port (default: 6379).

--bind address

Bind address (default: 127.0.0.1).

--requirepass password

Require password for connections.

--maxmemory bytes

Maximum memory limit.

--maxclients n

Maximum client connections.

--daemonize yes|no

Run as daemon.

--pidfile file

PID file location.

--logfile file

Log file location.

--loglevel level

Log level: debug, verbose, notice, warning.

--appendonly yes|no

Enable append-only persistence.

--save seconds changes

Snapshot save rules.

--protected-mode yes|no

Enable protected mode.

--dir directory

Working directory for persistence.

CAVEATS

Memory-bound by default; configure maxmemory for production. Protected mode restricts remote access unless disabled. Persistence requires disk space. Compatible symlinks (redis-server) may be available.

HISTORY

Valkey was forked from Redis in 2024 after Redis Labs changed the license to source-available. The Linux Foundation hosts Valkey as a community-driven continuation of open-source Redis. Major contributors include AWS, Google, Oracle, and Ericsson.