CHAPTER 02
Intermediate
How to Install Redis on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Updated: May 16, 2026
15 min read
# CHAPTER 2
Installing Redis and Redis CLI
1. Introduction
Before you can start caching data and building real-time applications, you must physically install the Redis engine on your computer. Unlike XAMPP or MySQL, which come with friendly.exe graphical installers, Redis was built by Linux engineers, for Linux servers. It does not have an official native Windows version. In this chapter, we will learn how to properly install Redis across all operating systems and use the terminal to interact with it.
2. Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:- Install Redis natively on Linux (Ubuntu).
- Install Redis on macOS using Homebrew.
- Install Redis on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).
- Start and stop the Redis Server.
-
Use the
redis-clito ping the server.
3. Installing Redis on Linux (Ubuntu)
This is the native, intended environment for Redis.- 1. Open your terminal.
- 2. Update your package manager:
bash
sudo apt update
`
-
3.
Install the Redis server:
`bash
sudo apt install redis-server
`
-
4.
Redis will automatically start running in the background as a service!
4. Installing Redis on macOS
Apple developers use a package manager called Homebrew.
-
1.
Open the macOS Terminal.
-
2.
Ensure Homebrew is installed (brew.sh).
-
3.
Install Redis:
`bash
brew install redis
`
-
4.
Start the Redis background service:
`bash
brew services start redis
`
5. Installing Redis on Windows
Because Redis doesn't officially support Windows natively, we must use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), which allows you to run a real Ubuntu Linux terminal directly inside Windows!
-
1.
Open PowerShell as Administrator.
-
2.
Install WSL:
`powershell
wsl --install
`
-
3.
Restart your computer.
-
4.
Open the new "Ubuntu" app from your Windows Start Menu. You are now in a Linux terminal!
-
5.
Run the Linux commands:
`bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install redis-server
`
-
6.
Start the server manually:
`bash
sudo service redis-server start
`
6. The Redis CLI (Command Line Interface)
Now that the server is running in the background, we need to talk to it. Redis comes with a built-in terminal tool called redis-cli.
-
1.
Open your terminal (or your WSL Ubuntu window).
-
2.
Type exactly:
`bash
redis-cli
`
-
3.
Press Enter. Your terminal prompt will change to:
127.0.0.1:6379>.
-
127.0.0.1 means Localhost (your computer).
-
6379 is the official port number that Redis always runs on!
7. Your First Redis Command
Let's see if the server is actually listening.
-
1.
Inside the
redis-cli, type:
`bash
PING
`
-
2.
Press Enter.
-
3.
The server should instantly reply:
`bash
PONG
`
Congratulations! You are officially communicating with a live In-Memory database.
8. Mini Project: Hello World
Let's store our first piece of data in RAM.
-
1.
Inside the
redis-cli, write a Key-Value pair:
`bash
SET message "Hello World!"
`
*(Redis responds: OK)*
-
2.
Now, retrieve the data using the Key:
`bash
GET message
`
*(Redis responds: "Hello World!")*
-
3.
To exit the CLI and go back to your normal terminal, type
exit.
9. Common Mistakes
-
Forgetting to start the server: If you type
redis-cli and get an error saying *"Could not connect to Redis at 127.0.0.1:6379: Connection refused"*, it means the actual Redis Server program is not running in the background. You must run sudo service redis-server start (or the Homebrew equivalent) before using the CLI.
10. Best Practices
-
Embrace the Terminal: Do not search for a "phpMyAdmin for Redis." While GUI tools like *RedisInsight* exist and are very good, professional developers interact with Redis almost exclusively through the terminal or via backend code. Embrace the
redis-cli; it is the fastest way to debug caching issues on a live server.
11. Exercises
-
1.
What is the default port number that the Redis server listens on?
-
2.
What command do you type into the
redis-cli to check if the server is alive and responding?
12. Redis Challenges
You are a Windows user trying to install Redis. You find an old .msi Windows installer file from 2016 on a third-party website. Should you use this file to install Redis? Why or why not, and what is the modern architectural alternative?
*(Answer: No, you should never use outdated, unofficial Windows ports of Redis, as they lack modern features, security patches, and official support. The industry standard workflow for Windows developers is to install WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and run the official, native Linux version of Redis directly inside Windows).*
13. MCQ Quiz with Answers
Question 1
When interacting with Redis via the redis-cli, what response indicates that the server is successfully running, listening on port 6379, and ready to accept commands?
Question 2
Why is the installation process for Redis on Windows fundamentally different than on macOS or Ubuntu?
14. Interview Questions
-
Q: You are onboarding a new Windows developer to your team. Outline the exact architectural steps required to get a production-equivalent Redis server running locally on their Windows machine using WSL.
-
Q: Explain the function of the
redis-cli. How does it connect to the server, and what is the default host and port used?
15. FAQs
Q: I restarted my computer, and the data I saved with SET message is gone! Why?
A: Welcome to In-Memory databases! By default, if the Redis server shuts down, the RAM is cleared. We will learn how to make the data permanent (Persistence) in Chapter 9.
16. Summary
You have successfully deployed a blazing-fast memory server. By utilizing native Linux packages, Homebrew, or WSL, you have started the Redis service on port 6379, connected to it using the redis-cli`, and successfully Pinged the engine.