Install Redis

When to use it

For caching, sessions and queues, for example in a Laravel application. The Laravel Server template can include it.

This playbook has no options.

What it does on the server

1. Installs Redis from the distribution's packages: redis-server on Ubuntu and Debian, redis on the RHEL family, redis6 on Amazon Linux 2023. Where a RHEL-family release ships Valkey instead of Redis, it installs Valkey, which Redis clients can use unchanged.
2. Enables and starts the service, then checks that it answers a PING.
3. Checks which addresses it listens on. The distributions' default configuration listens on this server only; if an existing installation accepts connections from the network, the run says so and leaves it unchanged.

After the run

Applications on the same server connect to 127.0.0.1:6379. Check it from the server with redis-cli ping (valkey-cli ping for Valkey, redis6-cli ping on Amazon Linux), which answers PONG.

Common problems

"… is running but did not answer a ping" — Redis started but refuses commands, usually because a password (requirepass) is set in its configuration file. Connect with that password, or check the requirepass line in the configuration (systemctl cat redis-server, redis or valkey shows which file the service reads).

"… accepts connections from the network" — Set bind 127.0.0.1 -::1 in its configuration and restart it, unless other servers need it. Never expose Redis to the internet without a password and a firewall rule.