Redis and Valkey at a glance

Before we get too into the weeds, here’s what sets Redis and Valkey apart and why so many teams are rethinking their approach right now.

	Redis	Valkey
Origin	Long-time market leader, created in 2009	Forked from Redis after 2024 license change
License	Source-available (AGPLv3, RSALv2, SSPLv1)	Open source (BSD, Linux Foundation governed)
Governance	Company-owned and centrally managed	Community-drive under the Linux Foundation
Ecosystem	Wide adoption, mature feature set, many extensions	Fast-growing community, rapidly evolving, strong industry backing
Support	Vendor or community, some paid options	Community, plus enterprise support from Percona and others

Redis is the in-memory database you probably know already. It’s fast, reliable, and handles everything from basic caching to high-speed, real-time applications. Over time, it’s evolved way beyond a simple cache. Now, it supports all kinds of data types, modules, and even AI workloads.

Valkey is the open source fork that emerged when Redis changed its licensing approach. It's governed by the Linux Foundation and backed by major players like AWS, Google Cloud, and others who wanted to keep a truly open source option available.

Both tools cover the same ground: caching, session management, real-time analytics, and any workload where speed matters most. The big difference? It’s all about licensing, control, and how much freedom you want for the future.