Valkey

Name: Valkey
Author: Valkey

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hosted

What Valkey is

Valkey is a free, open-source key/value datastore for caching, message queues, and use as a primary database. It supports strings, numbers, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, bitmaps, hyperloglogs, and other data types. Valkey can run as a standalone daemon or in a cluster, with replication and high-availability options. Lua scripting and module plugins can add commands and data types. The project describes uses such as caching database or API results, session tokens, rendered HTML, reports, leaderboards, matchmaking, and AI or ML inference outputs. Installation options include building from source, Docker, macOS package managers, and package managers for Linux and BSD distributions. Windows is not officially supported, though the guide describes WSL installation for development. Valkey is backed by the Linux Foundation, and its website says it will remain open source. The project lists recommended clients for Python, Node.js, Java, Go, PHP, Swift, C#, and Ruby, as well as managed or compatible offerings from multiple providers. Security guidance recommends restricting access to trusted clients and offers ACL authentication and optional TLS. The guide warns that Valkey binds to all interfaces without authentication by default.

Who it suits

Valkey suits developers and teams building caching, messaging, or database workloads who can deploy and operate a datastore. It offers clustering, replication, and several client libraries for application integration.

What it does well

Supports varied data structures, including sorted sets and hashes.
Runs standalone or in clusters with replication options.
Offers Lua scripting and extensible module plugins.
Free and open source under the BSD license.

What to know first

Windows is not officially supported.
By default, it binds to all interfaces without authentication.
Security setup requires attention to network access and credentials.

Limits

Valkey is free and open source. Windows is not officially supported, and the default configuration binds to all interfaces without authentication.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Valkey	Open source BSD datastore · self-hosted software	Free

As valkey.io lists them, read 7 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Valkey website.
Choose an installation route: source, Docker, a macOS package manager, or a Linux or BSD package manager.
On Windows, use WSL for development.
Restrict network access and configure binding and authentication as appropriate.
Connect through a recommended client library or a listed protocol.

Verdict

Valkey offers a broad set of data types and deployment options for caching, queues, and primary database workloads. Follow its security guidance during setup, particularly because authentication is off by default.

Questions

How much does Valkey cost?

The Valkey plan is listed as free. The pricing note describes it as open source.

Is Valkey open source?

Yes. It is described as open source, and the project says it will remain open source forever.

Which platforms does Valkey support?

Its listed platforms are API, Linux, macOS, and self-hosted. Windows is not officially supported, though WSL installation is described for development.

Can Valkey run in a cluster?

Yes. It can run standalone or in a cluster, with replication and high-availability options.

Which integrations and client libraries are listed?

Recommended client libraries are listed for Python, Node.js, Java, Go, PHP, Swift, C#, and Ruby. Managed or compatible offerings include Amazon ElastiCache, Google Cloud Memorystore, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Cache, UpCloud, and DigitalOcean.

What security controls does Valkey provide?

It provides ACL-based authentication and optional TLS for client connections, replication links, and the cluster bus. Its default configuration binds to all interfaces without authentication.

Facts from Valkey's own pages

Backing: The project is backed by the Linux Foundation, and its website says it will remain open source forever. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Client libraries: The project lists recommended clients for Python, Node.js, Java, Go, PHP, Swift, C#, and Ruby. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Data structures: Valkey supports strings, numbers, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, bitmaps, hyperloglogs, and other data types. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Deployment: Valkey can run as a standalone daemon or in a cluster, with replication and high availability options. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Extensibility: Valkey includes Lua scripting support and module plugins that can add commands and data types. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Founded: 2024 · valkey.io, 28 Sept 2026
Installation: The installation guide describes installation from source, Docker containers, Homebrew and MacPorts on macOS, and package managers for Linux and BSD distributions. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Integrations: The Valkey site lists managed or compatible offerings from Amazon ElastiCache, Google Cloud Memorystore, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Cache, UpCloud, DigitalOcean, and others. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Security: Valkey recommends restricting network access to trusted clients and provides ACL-based authentication and optional TLS for client connections, replication links, and the cluster bus. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Security limitation: The installation guide warns that Valkey binds to all interfaces without authentication by default and recommends firewalling the port, configuring bind, authentication, and TLS as appropriate. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Support: The Valkey site lists Percona as offering operational support and project-based consulting for Valkey databases. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Use cases: The quick start guide describes caching database or API results, session tokens, rendered HTML, reports, leaderboards, matchmaking, and AI or ML inference outputs. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
What it does: Valkey is an open source, high-performance key/value datastore for caching, message queues, and use as a primary database. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026
Windows support: Valkey is not officially supported on Windows, but the guide says it can be installed on Windows for development using WSL. · valkey.io, 7 Oct 2026