Valkey vs Redis: A Comparison

Redis and Valkey are high-performance data stores frequently deployed in applications requiring low-latency data access and advanced clustering options. The first release of Redis was made publicly available in February 2009, but Valkey is a relatively new player in the market. The Valkey project started as a fork of the open-source Redis OSS in March 2024. 

Since then, Valkey has gained popularity, and many see it as a compelling alternative to Redis. But since the two share a similar heritage, others wonder what the difference is. A detailed comparison of Valkey vs. Redis reveals their many similarities and some key differences. If you’re unsure which is right for your applications, here is a comprehensive look at Valkey and Redis.

What Are Redis and Valkey?

Redis is a popular, high-performance, in-memory data store that excels as a database, cache, and message broker. It supports a diverse range of data structures, including strings, hashes, lists, sets, and more. Since its introduction, Redis has been widely adopted by application developers across all industries, thanks to its impressive speed, relative ease of use, and robust feature set.

Valkey is an open-source project that emerged as an alternative to Redis in response to changes in its licensing. Backed by prominent tech companies and a robust developer community, Valkey meets the market demand for a truly open-source solution that still provides enterprise-grade performance, scalability, and many advanced features.

Why Is There a Need for Both Redis and Valkey?

In March, Redis Inc. announced that it was abandoning its open-source BSD three-clause license in favor of a more restrictive "source-available" license. This decision encouraged a community-led fork, Valkey, which started with the backing of The Linux Foundation and many long-time contributors to the open-source version of Redis.

Some developers and the organizations they work for prefer the open-source model. While the new Redis license does allow for its source code to be made available, it doesn’t follow the standards and norms the open-source community expects. Meanwhile, other organizations prefer to deploy software backed by a traditional support model. Redis Inc. offers support plans for the enterprise version of Redis to meet those requirements.

Valkey vs. Redis: The Key Differences

Although the initial release of Valkey was a straight fork of the last version of Redis OSS, the project’s developers have taken the project in new directions. Valkey 8.0.1, released in October 2024, has several key differences from Redis, including:

Performance and Scalability

Both Redis and Valkey are renowned for their high performance, but Valkey aims to push the boundaries further by incorporating enhanced multi-threading and scalability features. This allows Valkey to handle increased workloads and complex use cases more efficiently. Valkey also offers automatic cluster failover and improved scaling capabilities, making it an excellent choice for distributed environments.

Observability and Monitoring

Valkey provides a more advanced level of observability. Per-slot metrics offer granular insights into performance and usage patterns. This detailed monitoring data enables administrators to identify and address potential issues proactively. While Redis also has monitoring capabilities, it may not be sufficient for some applications that require a deeper understanding of system behavior. Valkey's enhanced observability features provide a significant advantage in this regard.

Memory and RDMA Support

Valkey introduces a new dictionary structure that optimizes memory usage, improving performance and reducing memory footprint. Additionally, Valkey has experimental support for RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access), which can unlock significant performance gains in specialized environments. On the other hand, Redis does not support RDMA natively as of this writing.

Valkey or Redis, Which is Right For You?

Valkey and Redis are both strong solutions in the in-memory data store space, each with its own strengths and advantages. Which is right for your organization and developer teams? Ultimately, the answer will depend on factors like licensing, performance demands, and the level of community support you require.

Valkey is backed or endorsed by several tech industry notables, including AWS, Oracle, Google Cloud, Ericsson, and Snap Inc (Snapchat’s parent company). Its commitment to open-source principles and potential for future innovation make Valkey a promising choice for organizations seeking cutting-edge technology while still valuing code transparency.

As Valkey continues to evolve, it's poised to introduce new features and optimizations, further narrowing the gap with Redis and potentially outperforming it in specific areas. Ultimately, both Redis and Valkey provide robust solutions for modern data challenges. The best choice will depend on your unique project requirements.

Redisson: The Solution for Java Developers

Redisson has long been the third-party Redis client of choice for Java developers. Whereas Redis does not support Java natively, Redisson’s many libraries and Java methods extend Redis’s base functionality while introducing new objects and services that are unavailable out of the box. But what does the emergence of Valkey mean for Redisson?

The good news is that Redisson supports both Redis and Valkey equally. Regardless of your choice, Redisson is the simplest and easiest way for Java developers to interact with Redis and build multi-cluster applications. To learn more about Redisson for Redis or Valkey, visit the Redisson PRO website today.