Step by Step Install and Configure Redis on Debian 12

In this guide, we want to teach you to Install and Configure Redis on Debian 12 Bookworm. Redis gets its name from the Remote Dictionary Server. It is an open-source fast in-memory database and cache, optimized for speed, and written in C. Also, it is a powerful tool that can be used for caching, session management, messaging, data storage, and more. Redis is popular among developers for building high-performance and scalable applications.

Steps To Install and Configure Redis on Debian 12

To set up Redis on Debian 12, you must log in to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. To do this, you can check this guide on Initial Server Setup with Debian 12.

Then, follow the steps below to start your Redis installation on Debian 12.

Step 1 – Installing Redis from Source on Debian 12

First, you must run the system update with the command below:

sudo apt update

Then, you must install the following required packages for Redis Setup:

sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https curl ca-certificates -y

Now you can use the following curl command to add the Redis GPG key on your server:

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

Next, add the Redis official repository on Debian 12:

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

Finally, run the system update and use the command below to install Redis packages on your server:

# sudo apt update
# sudo apt install redis redis-server redis-tools -y

You can verify your Redis installation by checking its version:

redis-server -v

Output
Redis server v=7.2.4 sha=00000000:0 malloc=jemalloc-5.3.0 bits=64 build=44edf16bebe6fed2

Step 2 – Start and Enable Redis Server on Debian 12

Once your installation is completed, you can use the following command to start and enable the Redis server:

sudo systemctl enable --now redis-server

Then, verify Redis server is active and running on Debian 12:

sudo systemctl status redis

Also, you can test your Redis functionality with the command below:

redis-cli ping

In your output, you should get the PONG word.

Step 3 – Redis Server Configuration on Debian 12

At this point, you must edit the Redis config file and limit access to the local host or private IP address on Debian 12. To do this, open the file with your desired text editor like Vi editor or Nano editor:

sudo vi /etc/redis/redis.conf

In the file, look for the bind line. It looks like this:

bind 127.0.0.1 -::1

You can replace it with your server’s IP address or keep it with the local host:

bind your_private_ip or 127.0.0.1

Once you are done. Save and close the file.

To apply the changes, restart the Redis server:

sudo systemctl restart redis

Step 4 – Set up the Redis Server Password

At this point, you can set up a Redis password from the Redis config file on Debian 12. Again open the Redis config file:

sudo vi /etc/redis/redis.conf

Find the Security section and search for the “requirepass foobared” directive. Uncomment it by removing the # and replacing the foobared phrase with a very strong password:

requirepass strong-password

When you are done, save and close the file.

Then, restart the Redis server to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart redis

Step 5 – Verify Redis Server Password with Redis Client

To test that the password that you have set works correctly, open the Redis client with the following command:

redis-cli

The first command tries to set a key to a value before authentication:

set key1 10

At this point, Redis returns an error, because you have not yet authenticated. Use the following command to authenticate with the password you have set in the Redis configuration file:

auth your_redis_password

After entering your Redis password, in your output, you will see OK.

Then run the previous command, it should be working now. In your output, you should see OK. Now use the get key1 command to query Redis for the value of the new key.

Exit from the Redis client with the quit command.

Step 6 – Change Dangerous Redis Commands on Debian 12

For more security, Redis allows you to rename or completely disable certain commands that are considered dangerous. like: FLUSHDB, FLISHALL, KEYS, CONFIG, DEBUG, SHUTDOWN, SAVE, STOP, RENAME, etc.

To enable or disable Redis commands, open the Redis configuration file and go to the Security section:

sudo vi /etc/redis/redis.conf

Now you can disable or kill a command by renaming it to an empty string like this:

# It is also possible to completely kill a command by renaming it into
# an empty string:
#
rename-command FLUSHDB ""
rename-command FLUSHALL ""
rename-command DEBUG ""

Also, you can rename a command by giving it another name like this:

# It is also possible to completely kill a command by renaming it into
# an empty string:
#
rename-command FLUSHDB ""
rename-command FLUSHALL ""
rename-command DEBUG ""
rename-command SHUTDOWN SHUTDOWN_ORCA
rename-command CONFIG ORCA_CONFIG

Once you are done, save and close the file.

Now you can open the Redis client to test your new commands:

redis-cli

Then, authenticate yourself with the password that you have set:

auth your_redis_password

We assumed that you rename the config command to orca_config. If you use config you will get an error:

config get requirepass

You should use the renamed command:

orca_config get requirepass

In your output you will see:

Now you can exit from the Redis client with the exit or quit command.

Warning: at the end of the Security section in the /ect/redis/redis.conf file, there is a warning statement which is:

. . .
# Please note that changing the name of commands that are logged into the
# AOF file or transmitted to slaves may cause problems.
. . .

This means if the renamed command is not in the AOF file, or if it is but the AOF file has not been transmitted to replicas, then there should be no problem. The best time to rename the command is when you’re not using AOF persistence or right after installation.

Note: You can learn more about Redis’s commands and determine how they might be misused at redis.io/commands.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Install and Configure Redis Server on Debian 12, Change your Redis serve password, test it by using the Redis client, and Rename the dangerous commands. Hope you enjoy using it.

Also, you may like to read the following articles:

Plex Media Server Setup on Debian 12 Command Line

Jenkins Server Installation Tutorial on Debian 12

Install build-essential Package in Debian Linux

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