This document summarizes insights from Redis usage data collected by Redsmin, a service for administrating and monitoring Redis servers. It finds that most Redis servers are running version 3.0 or 2.8, have uptimes of less than one year, use plain text connections without authentication, and have the slowlog enabled. Over 90% of servers do not have maxmemory configured to limit memory usage. The document suggests warning users to configure maxmemory and consider 32-bit Redis if maxmemory is set below 4GB for a 64-bit installation.

1. Redis usage &
ecosystem insights
Looking at our data at

2. An online service for administrating and
monitoring Redis servers and Redis clusters
Data & batch atomic (CAS) editor
Redis Monitoring & Alerting
Modern contextual terminal
Built for and ensure safe production
Cloud ready
Redis LUA Editor, Real-time data-viz
Slowlog, client list, cluster nodes,
configuration with inline-documentation…

3. 10,000 developers and companies trust us from 2 155 cities around the globe.

4. Connecting Redis servers to Redsmin
TLS encrypted connection
Internet

5. Two ways to connect your Redis servers to Redsmin
Internet

6. Two ways to connect your Redis servers to Redsmin
Option A
Accessible from internet,
direct connection
Azure Redis Cache
(TLS/SSL)
Self hosted on EC2
(e.g. plain text)
Redis on DBaaS
(plain text or TLS)
Internet

7. Two ways to connect your Redis servers to Redsmin
Option A
Accessible from internet,
direct connection
Option B
Behind the firewall, proxied
connection with Redsmin Proxy
Azure Redis Cache
(TLS/SSL)
Self hosted on EC2
(e.g. plain text)
Redis on DBaaS
(plain text or TLS)
Your own server
on a private network
Redsmin Proxy daemon
Amazon Elasticache
Redsmin Proxy daemon
From your laptop
Redsmin Proxy daemon
Internet

8. Redis Ecosystem

9. Version distribution
Major/Minor versions
3.0
42 %
2.8
57 %
2.6
1 %
Uptime in years
4
2 %
3
14 %
2
18 %
<1
66 %
Redis 3.0 Beta 1 was released on 2014/02/11, Redis 2.8 2013/08/21,
considering Redis amazing uptime there may be a correlation between the two.
Fun fact: we excluded one result, a Redis server reported us an uptime of 44 years
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

10. Redis Security

11. Security
Data from publicly available Redis servers

12. Security
Data from publicly available Redis servers
Redis Connection
8 %
92 %
Plain text SSL/TLS

13. Security
Redis authentication
40 %
60 %
without AUTH with AUTH
Data from publicly available Redis servers
Redis Connection
8 %
92 %
Plain text SSL/TLS

14. Security
Redis authentication
40 %
60 %
without AUTH with AUTH
Data from publicly available Redis servers
Redis Connection
8 %
92 %
Plain text SSL/TLS
Feedback: 60% of the Redis servers we handle are opened to internet without
auth. Hopefully v3.2 introduces Redis protected mode!

15. Any slow command pattern?

16. Slow commands
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

17. Slow commands
Slowlog Disabled
39 %
Slowlog enabled
61 %
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

18. Slow commands
Slowlog Disabled
39 %
Slowlog enabled
61 %
9% of servers have KEYS
command in their slowlog
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

19. Slow commands
Slowlog Disabled
39 %
Slowlog enabled
61 %
9% of servers have KEYS
command in their slowlog
Slow commands were most of the
time long variadic or
synchronous commands.
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

20. Memory optimization

21. “Redis compiled with 32 bit target uses a lot less memory per key, since pointers are small,
but such an instance will be limited to 4 GB of maximum memory usage.“
— http://redis.io/topics/memory-optimization
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

22. “Redis compiled with 32 bit target uses a lot less memory per key, since pointers are small,
but such an instance will be limited to 4 GB of maximum memory usage.“
— http://redis.io/topics/memory-optimization
Redis servers
32 bit 1 %
64 bit 99 %
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

23. “Redis compiled with 32 bit target uses a lot less memory per key, since pointers are small,
but such an instance will be limited to 4 GB of maximum memory usage.“
— http://redis.io/topics/memory-optimization
Redis servers
32 bit 1 %
64 bit 99 %
64 bit Redis
used memory
More than 4 GB
3 %
Less than 4 GB
97 %
Fact: 97% of Redis servers are using less than 4Gb but are running on 64 bit.
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

24. Unbounded Memory?

25. MaxMemory
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

26. MaxMemory
maxmemory overview
set
9 %
not set
91 %
maxmemory values
32-180Go
15 %
16-32Go
2 %
11-16Go
19 %
5-10Go
19 %
1-4Go
44 %
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

27. MaxMemory
maxmemory overview
set
9 %
not set
91 %
maxmemory values
32-180Go
15 %
16-32Go
2 %
11-16Go
19 %
5-10Go
19 %
1-4Go
44 %
Feedback: why not warn users to set max-memory? Memory is not unlimited.
Then if maxmemory is set up to <4Go and arch=64bit,
why not recommend the use of 32 bit Redis instead of 64 bit?
Data from publicly available and behind the firewall Redis servers

28. Redis usage &
ecosystem insights
Thanks for listening!
Redsmin (Redis GUI) redsmin.com
Redis Weekly redisweekly.com
@FGRibreau