January 13, 2026Guides

How to Install and Configure Redis on Linux Server

Step-by-step guide on installing Redis caching server on Ubuntu and CentOS for improved application performance.

Redis is an in-memory data structure store used as a database, cache, and message broker. It's essential for high-performance applications requiring fast data access. This guide shows you how to install and configure Redis on your Hiddence server.

Installing Redis on Ubuntu/Debian

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt install redis-server -y
sudo systemctl start redis-server
sudo systemctl enable redis-server

# Verify installation
redis-cli ping
# Should return: PONG

Installing Redis on CentOS/RHEL

bash

sudo yum install epel-release -y
sudo yum install redis -y
sudo systemctl start redis
sudo systemctl enable redis

# Verify installation
redis-cli ping
# Should return: PONG

Configuring Redis

Edit Redis configuration file to optimize performance:

bash

sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf

# Key settings:
# maxmemory 256mb
# maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru
# bind 127.0.0.1 (for security)
# requirepass your_strong_password

sudo systemctl restart redis

Securing Redis

By default, Redis is not password-protected. Set a password:

bash

sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf
# Find and uncomment:
requirepass your_strong_password_here

# Restart Redis
sudo systemctl restart redis

# Test connection with password
redis-cli -a your_strong_password_here ping

Basic Redis Usage

bash

# Connect to Redis
redis-cli

# Set a key-value pair
SET mykey "Hello Redis"

# Get a value
GET mykey

# Set expiration (TTL)
SETEX mykey 60 "value"

# Check if key exists
EXISTS mykey

# Delete a key
DEL mykey

Using Redis with PHP

bash

# Install PHP Redis extension
sudo apt install php-redis -y  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum install php-redis -y  # CentOS

# Restart PHP-FPM
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

# Test in PHP:
# <?php
# $redis = new Redis();
# $redis->connect('127.0.0.1', 6379);
# $redis->set('test', 'Hello Redis');
# echo $redis->get('test');

Redis Best Practices

Set maxmemory to prevent Redis from using all RAM
Use appropriate eviction policy (allkeys-lru recommended)
Enable persistence (RDB or AOF) for data durability
Monitor Redis memory usage regularly
Use Redis Sentinel for high availability
Secure Redis with password and firewall rules
Backup Redis data regularly