Performance and capabilities
Both Redis and Valkey will handle your performance requirements. They're built for speed, designed for massive scale, and optimized for the low-latency workloads you depend on.
Why teams stick with Redis: Redis has a long track record and a big reputation for speed. It brings advanced features, support for a wide range of data types, and an ever-growing ecosystem of modules and extensions. Recently, Redis has been adding new capabilities, like vector search for AI, and positioning itself as a true multi-model database. If you rely on a mature platform with lots of add-ons, Redis has you covered.
Why Valkey’s catching attention: Valkey gives you that same snappy, lightweight experience but with a renewed commitment to open source values. It’s still the new upstart in this space, and some teams may wonder if it can match Redis for enterprise capabilities. While Redis does have a head start, the gap is closing fast as Valkey continues to evolve with every release.
The upcoming September v9.0 release is a great example. It introduces enterprise-focused features that make Valkey even more appealing for business-critical environments, including:
Improved operational safety:
- New SAFE shutdown mode helps prevent accidental shutdowns on critical nodes
- Unified auto-failover settings streamline high-availability behavior across environments
Enterprise-grade security:
- TLS certificate-based automatic client authentication for native mTLS support and easier centralized identity integration
Network resilience:
- Support for MultiPath TCP (MPTCP) replication, improving fault tolerance and throughput in complex networks
Better developer experience:
- New built-in DELIFEQ command for easier distributed locking, without the need for Lua scripting
- Enhanced error messages that include full command names, making debugging in transactional workflows simpler
Performance and benchmarking:
- Up to 19% faster string parsing in list operations using AVX512 SIMD acceleration
- New rps flag in valkey-benchmark for more realistic, token-bucket-based request throttling during load testing
What this means for you:
If you’re just caching or managing sessions, either choice will serve you well. Redis still leads on advanced features, but Valkey is closing the gap quickly, now adding true enterprise capabilities with each new release. With Valkey 9.0, operational pain points for large-scale deployments are being addressed: failover is safer, security is stronger, performance is faster, and developer workflows are easier to manage.
These improvements make Valkey even more production-ready for teams that want open source reliability, Redis compatibility, and the freedom to shape their own future. It’s not just about raw speed. It’s about being able to grow and adapt, without worrying about licensing headaches or vendor restrictions.