How to Install Redis on Ubuntu Server and Enable Remote Access

Hey there, you might have heard about redis and what it does, and that's the reason you are here. So If I keep it short, Redis is a high-performance, in-memory data store. It functions primarily as a cache or a quick-response database.

In this guide, I will be showing you how you can self host in your Ubuntu server.So let's get going.

Prerequisite

To proceed with this guide, you need to have an Ubuntu Server (Obviously). Other then that, you do not need anything else.

Steps

Step 1- Update Your System and Install Prerequisites

First things first: make sure your system is up to date. Its better to do it, to avoid any package conflicts in future

Run this to update your package list:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Now, install some essentials we'll need for adding the Redis repository. These include tools for handling keys and releases:

sudo apt-get install lsb-release curl gpg

Step 2: Add the Official Redis Repository

Redis has its own package repository, which is better than using Ubuntu's default one because it gives you the most recent version. Here's how to set it up.

Download and add the Redis GPG key:

curl -fsSL https://packages.redis.io/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg

Set permissions on that key file (644 is standard for read access):

sudo chmod 644 /usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg

Add the repository to your sources list. This line points to the Redis packages tailored to your Ubuntu version (like "jammy" for 22.04):

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packages.redis.io/deb $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/redis.list

Update your package list again to include the new repo:

sudo apt-get update

Step 3: Install Redis

sudo apt-get install redis

This should pull in the latest version. Once it's done, you can check the version with redis-server --version to confirm everything's good.

Step 4: Start and Enable the Redis Service

Redis runs as a service, so let's get it fired up and make sure it starts on boot.

Enable it:

sudo systemctl enable redis-server

Start the service:

sudo systemctl start redis-server

To verify it's running, check the status:

sudo systemctl status redis-server

You should see something saying it's active (running). If not, there might be an error—feel free to drop the output in the comments if you run into issues!

Step 5: Configure Redis for Remote Connections

By default, Redis only listens on localhost (127.0.0.1), which is great for security but not if you need to connect from another machine. We'll tweak the config file to allow remote access, disable protected mode, and add a password for safety.

Open the config file with your favorite editor (I like nano):

sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf

Make these changes:

• Find the line that says bind 127.0.0.1 (it shouldn't have a # or leading space). Change it to bind 0.0.0.0. This tells Redis to listen on all interfaces.
• Look for protected-mode yes and switch it to protected-mode no. This disables the default protection that blocks remote access.
• Add or uncomment the line for a password: requirepass your-strong-password-here. Replace "your-strong-password-here" with something secure—don't use a weak one, especially if this is exposed to the internet!

Save and exit (in nano, that's Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X).

Restart Redis to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart redis

Check the status again to ensure it's back up:

sudo systemctl status redis

And thats it, your redis server is up and running and ready to be connected.

Show me the code

# Update system and install prerequisites
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get install lsb-release curl gpg

# Add Redis GPG key and repository
curl -fsSL https://packages.redis.io/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg

sudo chmod 644 /usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/redis-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packages.redis.io/deb $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/redis.list

sudo apt-get update

# Install Redis
sudo apt-get install redis

# Enable and start the service
sudo systemctl enable redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server

Configure for Remote Connections

1. Open the config file: sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf (or use your preferred editor).
2. Find the line bind 127.0.0.1 (no leading # or space) and change it to bind 0.0.0.0.
3. Find protected-mode yes and change it to protected-mode no.
4. Add or edit the line to set a password: requirepass <your-strong-password> (replace with a secure password).
5. Save and exit the editor.

# Restart and check status
sudo systemctl restart redis-server
sudo systemctl status redis-server

I hope you have found this article helpful, If you have any issues, just ask me in the comments.