
Valkey
Valkey is an open-source, Redis-compatible key/value datastore optimized for caching, queues, and other real-time workloads, with clustering, replication, and extensibility.

Valkey is a high-performance data structure server and distributed key/value datastore designed for low-latency, real-time workloads such as caching and message queues. It is a fork of Redis OSS created before Redis’ license change, and aims to remain permissively licensed and community governed.
Key Features
- Rich native data structures such as strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, bitmaps, and HyperLogLogs
- Replication and high availability options, including Sentinel-style monitoring and failover
- Cluster mode for horizontal scaling and sharding
- Extensibility via modules (plugins) to add new commands, data types, and access patterns
- Built-in Lua scripting for server-side logic and atomic workflows
- Optional TLS support for encrypted client and inter-node communication
Use Cases
- Application caching and session storage with low latency
- Real-time counters, leaderboards, rate limiting, and ephemeral state
- Queueing and lightweight messaging patterns for background work
Limitations and Considerations
- Primarily memory-focused workloads; persistence and durability characteristics depend on configuration choices
- Some advanced features (for example RDMA support) may be experimental and platform-limited
Valkey is a strong fit when you need Redis-style commands and data structures with modern operational options like clustering and encryption. It can serve as a drop-in compatible datastore for many Redis OSS deployments while supporting a broad range of real-time patterns.

