[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":496},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article:\u002Fcompare\u002Fredis-vs-valkey":3,"related:\u002Fcompare\u002Feu-managed-redis,\u002Fcompare\u002Fkvnest-vs-upstash":487},{"id":4,"title":5,"answer":6,"author":7,"body":8,"dateModified":402,"datePublished":402,"description":403,"extension":404,"faq":405,"lastVerified":421,"meta":422,"navigation":423,"ogImage":424,"path":425,"pillar":426,"providers":427,"published":423,"related":439,"seo":441,"sources":442,"stem":485,"__hash__":486},"compare\u002Fcompare\u002Fredis-vs-valkey.md","Redis vs Valkey in 2026: what's different and which to pick","For most apps it doesn't matter: Redis 8 and Valkey 9 speak the same protocol, and mainstream Redis clients connect to both. Pick Redis if you need TimeSeries or the newest Redis Query Engine features; pick Valkey if you want a BSD license and a Linux Foundation project. On KVNest you choose per instance, at the same price.","KVNest",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":384},"minimark",[11,16,129,133,178,182,193,197,201,211,214,218,232,236,265,269,275,279,284,290,294,300,306,312,318,322,334,364,368],[12,13,15],"h2",{"id":14},"the-short-version","The short version",[17,18,19,34],"table",{},[20,21,22],"thead",{},[23,24,25,28,31],"tr",{},[26,27],"th",{},[26,29,30],{},"Redis Open Source 8",[26,32,33],{},"Valkey 9",[35,36,37,52,65,78,90,103,116],"tbody",{},[23,38,39,46,49],{},[40,41,42],"td",{},[43,44,45],"strong",{},"License",[40,47,48],{},"AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1, your choice",[40,50,51],{},"BSD-3-Clause",[23,53,54,59,62],{},[40,55,56],{},[43,57,58],{},"Maintained by",[40,60,61],{},"Redis Inc.",[40,63,64],{},"A Linux Foundation project",[23,66,67,72,75],{},[40,68,69],{},[43,70,71],{},"Latest release",[40,73,74],{},"8.10 (July 2026)",[40,76,77],{},"9.1 (May 2026)",[23,79,80,85,88],{},[40,81,82],{},[43,83,84],{},"Protocol",[40,86,87],{},"RESP2 and RESP3",[40,89,87],{},[23,91,92,97,100],{},[40,93,94],{},[43,95,96],{},"Built-in extras",[40,98,99],{},"JSON, Bloom and other probabilistic types, TimeSeries, Query Engine, vector sets",[40,101,102],{},"Separate modules: JSON, Bloom, Search, LDAP",[23,104,105,110,113],{},[40,106,107],{},[43,108,109],{},"Time series",[40,111,112],{},"Yes",[40,114,115],{},"No official module",[23,117,118,123,126],{},[40,119,120],{},[43,121,122],{},"Clients",[40,124,125],{},"Any Redis client",[40,127,128],{},"Any Redis client, plus Valkey's own",[12,130,132],{"id":131},"how-we-got-two-of-them","How we got two of them",[134,135,136,143,149,155,161,167],"ul",{},[137,138,139,142],"li",{},[43,140,141],{},"March 2024:"," Redis Inc. moved Redis to RSALv2 and SSPLv1, starting with 7.4. Neither is an OSI-approved license. Eight days later, the Linux Foundation launched Valkey, continuing from Redis 7.2.4 under BSD-3-Clause.",[137,144,145,148],{},[43,146,147],{},"September 2024:"," Valkey 8.0.",[137,150,151,154],{},[43,152,153],{},"May 2025:"," Redis 8 added AGPLv3 as a third option and folded the Redis Stack features, including JSON, TimeSeries and the Query Engine, into Redis Open Source.",[137,156,157,160],{},[43,158,159],{},"October 2025:"," Valkey 9.0 added hash field expiration, atomic slot migration and numbered databases in cluster mode.",[137,162,163,166],{},[43,164,165],{},"May 2026:"," Valkey 9.1 added per-database ACLs, Lua as a module that operators can turn off, and JSON logging.",[137,168,169,172,173,177],{},[43,170,171],{},"July 2026:"," Redis 8.10 added compact hashes, a ",[174,175,176],"code",{},"BACKUP"," command and new TimeSeries and Search commands.",[12,179,181],{"id":180},"whats-the-same","What's the same",[183,184,185,188,189,192],"p",{},[43,186,187],{},"Most of what an app touches."," Both speak RESP2 and RESP3, share the core data types (strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, streams) and nearly all of the commands that existed in Redis 7.2. Both take a ",[174,190,191],{},"rediss:\u002F\u002F"," URL for TLS. The same client library, code and connection string work with either.",[12,194,196],{"id":195},"whats-different","What's different",[198,199,45],"h3",{"id":200},"license",[183,202,203,206,207,210],{},[43,204,205],{},"Valkey is BSD-3-Clause,"," a permissive license with no conditions on running it as a service. ",[43,208,209],{},"Redis 8 lets you choose AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1."," AGPLv3's extra condition is in section 13: if you modify the server and let people use it over a network, you must offer them your modified source.",[183,212,213],{},"If you only connect to a hosted server, you aren't modifying or distributing it, so the license asks little of you. It matters more if you ship or host a modified Redis yourself. This isn't legal advice.",[198,215,217],{"id":216},"modules","Modules",[183,219,220,223,224,227,228,231],{},[43,221,222],{},"Redis 8 has the extras built in:"," JSON, Bloom and other probabilistic types, TimeSeries, the Query Engine and vector sets. ",[43,225,226],{},"Valkey keeps them as separate BSD-licensed modules,"," shipped together in the ",[174,229,230],{},"valkey-bundle"," image: valkey-json, valkey-bloom, valkey-search and valkey-ldap. There's no official Valkey time-series module.",[198,233,235],{"id":234},"search","Search",[183,237,238,245,246,249,250,249,253,256,257,260,261,264],{},[43,239,240,241,244],{},"Both use ",[174,242,243],{},"FT.*"," command names, with different feature sets."," valkey-search supports vector search (HNSW and exact KNN) with numeric, tag and full-text filters, over hashes or JSON, through ",[174,247,248],{},"FT.CREATE",", ",[174,251,252],{},"FT.SEARCH",[174,254,255],{},"FT.AGGREGATE"," and a few more. The Redis Query Engine has commands valkey-search doesn't list, such as ",[174,258,259],{},"FT.HYBRID"," and ",[174,262,263],{},"FT.ALIASLIST",". If you depend on search, test your own queries on both.",[198,266,268],{"id":267},"performance","Performance",[183,270,271,274],{},[43,272,273],{},"Each project publishes its own numbers; these are vendor claims."," Redis says Redis 8 brought over 30 performance improvements, with up to 87% faster commands (May 2025). The Linux Foundation says Valkey 9.0 delivers up to 40% more throughput than 8.1 (October 2025). Valkey reports 2.1 million requests per second on one server with 9.1 (May 2026). We haven't benchmarked them against each other yet.",[12,276,278],{"id":277},"who-hosts-which","Who hosts which",[280,281],"provider-matrix",{"caption":282,"ids":283},"Which engine each managed service with EU regions runs","kvnest,aiven,ovhcloud,upcloud,stackhero,clever-cloud,scaleway,exoscale,redis-cloud,render,upstash",[183,285,286,289],{},[43,287,288],{},"The Engine column is the one to read."," Aiven, OVHcloud, UpCloud, Exoscale and Render run Valkey; Redis Cloud, Scaleway and Clever Cloud run Redis; Stackhero and KVNest offer both. Upstash runs its own Redis-compatible engine.",[12,291,293],{"id":292},"which-to-pick","Which to pick",[183,295,296,299],{},[43,297,298],{},"You need time series:"," Redis. It's built in, and Valkey has no official module.",[183,301,302,305],{},[43,303,304],{},"The license matters to you:"," Valkey, if you want BSD-3-Clause and foundation governance. Redis under AGPLv3 is also open source; read its terms if you plan to modify or host the server.",[183,307,308,311],{},[43,309,310],{},"Your host picked for you:"," both are fine. Moving between them is a key copy, not a rewrite.",[183,313,314,317],{},[43,315,316],{},"AI and vector search:"," test both. The Redis Query Engine has more commands; valkey-search covers vector search with filters. Run your own queries before you commit.",[12,319,321],{"id":320},"try-both-on-kvnest","Try both on KVNest",[183,323,324,327,328,333],{},[43,325,326],{},"Create one of each and run the same program."," KVNest runs Redis Open Source 8.10 (AGPLv3) and Valkey 9.1 (BSD-3-Clause), upstream builds with admin commands disabled, at the same price. The Starter plan is free during the public preview. Modules are off by default; turning them on restarts the instance. To learn the commands, try the ",[329,330,332],"a",{"href":331},"\u002Ftutorials","tutorials"," in your browser.",[335,336,338,358],"limits-box",{"title":337},"Before you switch engines on KVNest",[134,339,340,346,352],{},[137,341,342,345],{},[43,343,344],{},"No conversion."," The engine is fixed when you create an instance.",[137,347,348,351],{},[43,349,350],{},"No import yet."," Switching means copying the keys yourself.",[137,353,354,357],{},[43,355,356],{},"Starter is a cache."," Nothing goes to disk, so copy what you need before you delete an instance.",[183,359,360,363],{},[43,361,362],{},"Both engines are on every plan,"," so a second instance to copy into costs nothing extra on Starter.",[12,365,367],{"id":366},"how-we-checked","How we checked",[183,369,370,373,374,378,379,383],{},[43,371,372],{},"From redis.io, valkey.io, the Linux Foundation and each project's repository,"," read on 5 November 2026; host facts from our ",[329,375,377],{"href":376},"\u002Fcompare\u002Feu-managed-redis","EU provider comparison",", checked on 4 November 2026. Found an error? Email ",[329,380,382],{"href":381},"mailto:legal@kvnest.com","legal@kvnest.com",".",{"title":385,"searchDepth":386,"depth":387,"links":388},"",2,3,[389,390,391,392,398,399,400,401],{"id":14,"depth":386,"text":15},{"id":131,"depth":386,"text":132},{"id":180,"depth":386,"text":181},{"id":195,"depth":386,"text":196,"children":393},[394,395,396,397],{"id":200,"depth":387,"text":45},{"id":216,"depth":387,"text":217},{"id":234,"depth":387,"text":235},{"id":267,"depth":387,"text":268},{"id":277,"depth":386,"text":278},{"id":292,"depth":386,"text":293},{"id":320,"depth":386,"text":321},{"id":366,"depth":386,"text":367},"2026-11-05","Redis 8 and Valkey 9 speak the same protocol. They differ in license, governance and modules. A neutral, dated comparison from a host that offers both.","md",[406,409,412,415,418],{"question":407,"answer":408},"Is Valkey a drop-in replacement for Redis?","For apps that use the core data types and commands, usually yes: Valkey continued from Redis 7.2.4 and speaks the same protocol. Check the modules and newer commands you rely on, since the two projects have added different features since 2024.",{"question":410,"answer":411},"Is Redis open source again?","Since Redis 8, released in May 2025, you can use Redis Open Source under AGPLv3, an OSI-approved open source license, or under RSALv2 or SSPLv1. Redis 7.4 is RSALv2 or SSPLv1 only; Redis 7.2 and earlier are BSD-licensed.",{"question":413,"answer":414},"Does Valkey have TimeSeries?","Not among its official modules. The valkey-bundle image ships JSON, Bloom, Search and LDAP modules, but no time-series type. Redis 8 includes TimeSeries.",{"question":416,"answer":417},"Do I need a different client for Valkey?","No. Valkey speaks the Redis protocol, so mainstream Redis clients connect to it. Valkey also publishes its own client, Valkey GLIDE, which is optional.",{"question":419,"answer":420},"Can I switch a KVNest instance from Redis to Valkey?","Not in place. The engine is fixed when you create the instance, so create a new one and copy your keys across.","2026-11-04",{},true,null,"\u002Fcompare\u002Fredis-vs-valkey","engines",[428,429,430,431,432,433,434,435,436,437,438],"kvnest","aiven","ovhcloud","upcloud","stackhero","clever-cloud","scaleway","exoscale","redis-cloud","render","upstash",[376,440],"\u002Fcompare\u002Fkvnest-vs-upstash",{"title":5,"description":403},[443,446,449,452,455,458,461,464,467,470,473,476,479,482],{"label":444,"url":445,"checked":402},"Redis adopts dual source-available licensing (20 Mar 2024)","https:\u002F\u002Fredis.io\u002Fblog\u002Fredis-adopts-dual-source-available-licensing\u002F",{"label":447,"url":448,"checked":402},"Redis is now available under the AGPLv3 license (1 May 2025)","https:\u002F\u002Fredis.io\u002Fblog\u002Fagplv3\u002F",{"label":450,"url":451,"checked":402},"Redis LICENSE.txt (tri-license from Redis 8)","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fredis\u002Fredis\u002Fblob\u002Funstable\u002FLICENSE.txt",{"label":453,"url":454,"checked":402},"What's new in Redis 8.10","https:\u002F\u002Fredis.io\u002Fdocs\u002Flatest\u002Fdevelop\u002Fwhats-new\u002F8-10\u002F",{"label":456,"url":457,"checked":402},"Linux Foundation launches Valkey (28 Mar 2024)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linuxfoundation.org\u002Fpress\u002Flinux-foundation-launches-open-source-valkey-community",{"label":459,"url":460,"checked":402},"Valkey history","https:\u002F\u002Fvalkey.io\u002Ftopics\u002Fhistory\u002F",{"label":462,"url":463,"checked":402},"Valkey COPYING (BSD-3-Clause)","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fvalkey-io\u002Fvalkey\u002Fblob\u002Funstable\u002FCOPYING",{"label":465,"url":466,"checked":402},"Valkey 9.0 release (Linux Foundation, 21 Oct 2025)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linuxfoundation.org\u002Fpress\u002Fvalkey-9.0-delivers-performance-and-resiliency-for-real-time-workloads",{"label":468,"url":469,"checked":402},"Valkey 9.1 release post (19 May 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fvalkey.io\u002Fblog\u002Fvalkey-9-1-delivers-improvements-in-security-performance-and-more\u002F",{"label":471,"url":472,"checked":402},"valkey-bundle image (modules)","https:\u002F\u002Fhub.docker.com\u002Fr\u002Fvalkey\u002Fvalkey-bundle",{"label":474,"url":475,"checked":402},"valkey-search README","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fvalkey-io\u002Fvalkey-search",{"label":477,"url":478,"checked":402},"Valkey GLIDE client","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fvalkey-io\u002Fvalkey-glide",{"label":480,"url":481,"checked":402},"GNU AGPLv3, section 13","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gnu.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fagpl-3.0.html",{"label":483,"url":484,"checked":421},"KVNest pricing","https:\u002F\u002Fkvnest.com\u002Fpricing","compare\u002Fredis-vs-valkey","8SHiABpe6IN3aovu-u7WFzaV7ZUnlQjjfXz_1Rm7NYk",[488,492],{"path":376,"title":489,"answer":490,"description":491,"published":423},"EU managed Redis & Valkey: 11 providers compared (Nov 2026)","Seven of the 11 providers keep both the company and the data in the EU: Aiven, OVHcloud, Scaleway, Clever Cloud, UpCloud, Stackhero and KVNest. UpCloud is the cheapest with data on disk, at €8 a month for 1 GB. As of 4 November 2026, KVNest is the only one of the 11 that combines a free tier, a hosted MCP server and a choice of Redis or Valkey.","Who owns them, where your data lives, what the free tier and smallest plan cost, and who runs a hosted MCP server. Checked against each provider's own pages.",{"path":440,"title":493,"answer":494,"description":495,"published":423},"KVNest vs Upstash: EU-owned or serverless? (Nov 2026)","Pick Upstash for serverless and edge apps that want an HTTP API, per-request pricing, global read replicas or high availability today. Pick KVNest if you want an EU-owned company and upstream Redis Open Source 8.10 or Valkey 9.1 over a standard TLS connection, free during the public preview with no command quota.","Upstash wins for serverless apps, per-request billing, global replicas and HA. KVNest is EU-owned and runs upstream Redis or Valkey over TLS, free in preview.",1793839178676]