In simple English
This tool stores and retrieves data very quickly in your computer memory. It acts as a fast cache or a message broker for your applications. It was created as an open-source alternative when Redis changed its licence rules. It costs nothing to download and use, but you need your own server to run it. Setting it up requires compiling from source code on a Linux or Unix server.
What it is
Valkey is a distributed key-value database written in C that supports various data structures like strings, hashes, lists, and sets. It serves as a drop-in replacement for older Redis deployments with active community maintenance and free licensing.
What it is good for
Developers who need a high-speed caching layer or a real-time data store without proprietary licence restrictions.
- High throughput and low latency for real-time operations.
- Drop-in compatibility with existing Redis client libraries and commands.
- Active open-source community backed by the Linux Foundation.
- Requires compiling from source code using a C compiler and make.
- Consumes memory rapidly as your dataset grows in RAM.
- Needs manual server configuration for production security and persistence.
Redis (pre-licence-change versions)
Node.js or Python backend applications
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git clone https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey.git cd valkey make make test