Valkey

Overview

Valkey is a high-performance, open-source key-value datastore designed for ultra-fast data access. It is commonly used for caching, session storage, real-time analytics, and message queues.

Valkey is API-compatible with Redis OSS, making it easy to integrate into existing applications while benefiting from an actively evolving open-source ecosystem.

Valkey is suitable for a broad range of use cases, including:

• Caching frequently accessed data

• Managing user sessions

• Real-time data processing

• Lightweight message brokering

It is primarily designed for ephemeral or low-latency data access rather than long-term persistent storage.

Architecture

Vakley architecture defines the deployment topology of your Valkey instance. It determines how data is stored, replicated, and served across nodes, directly impacting availability, performance, and operational complexity.

Supported Modes

1. Standalone

A single-node Valkey deployment.

Characteristics:

• One instance handles all reads and writes

• No replication or redundancy

• Simplest configuration and lowest resource usage

Best for:

• Development and testing

• Ephemeral caching

• Non-critical workloads

2. Replication

A multi-node deployment with one primary node and one or more replicas.

Characteristics:

• Primary node handles writes

• Replicas asynchronously replicate data from the primary

• Replicas can serve read requests (depending on configuration)

Best for:

• Production environments

• High-read workloads

• Systems requiring resilience

Replication Details

• Replication type: Asynchronous (replicas may lag slightly behind primary)

• Failover:

  • Manual by default

  • Automatic failover requires additional components (e.g., Sentinel)

• Read scaling: Applications can be configured to read from replicas

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Accessing the Valkey App

1. Navigate to the Apolo Console

2. Open the Apps section from the left-hand navigation

3. Locate the Valkey application in the available apps list

4. Click Install

If the app is already installed, you can manage it from the Installed Apps tab.

Installing the Valkey App

1. Configure Resources

Select a resource preset based on your workload requirements:

• cpu-small — lightweight caching workloads

• cpu-medium — moderate traffic and session storage

• cpu-large — high-throughput, low-latency workloads

Valkey is memory-intensive, so ensure sufficient RAM allocation.

2. Configure Storage

Depending on your use case, choose one of the following:

• Ephemeral storage – for cache-only workloads

• Persistent storage – for data that should survive restarts

3. Configure Architecture

Set the ValkeyArchitecture parameter to define the deployment topology:

• standalone – a single-node deployment with no replication. Suitable for development, testing, and non-critical workloads.

• replication – a primary-replica deployment that provides redundancy, improved availability, and read scaling. Recommended for production use cases.

When using replication, you can configure the number of replicas to balance read performance and resource usage.

4. Networking Settings

• Expose the Valkey port (default: 6379)

• Configure internal access for other services within the cluster

• Optionally enable external access (not recommended unless secured)

5. Security Configuration

• Enable authentication if external access is configured

• Use Apolo Secrets for credentials management

• Restrict access via internal networking whenever possible

6. Metadata

Provide a name for your Valkey instance. If omitted, a system-generated name will be assigned.

7. Install the App

Click Install to deploy the application.

Once deployed, the app will appear in the Installed Apps tab with its status and connection details.

Managing Installed Valkey Instances

To manage your Valkey deployment:

1. Go to the Installed Apps tab

2. Select your Valkey instance

3. Open the Details view

You will find:

• Application metadata (name, ID, owner)

• Current status (e.g., progressing, healthy)

• Configuration inputs

• Logs

• Output values (connection endpoints)

Connecting to Valkey

Valkey exposes connection details via application outputs.

Typical connection parameters:

• Host

• Port (6379)

• Password (if enabled)

Example connection (CLI)

valkey-cli -h <host> -p 6379

Example (Python)

import redis

client = redis.Redis(
    host="<host>",
    port=6379,
    password="<password>",
)

client.set("key", "value")
print(client.get("key"))

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Usage

Caching

Store frequently accessed data to reduce load on primary databases.

Session Storage

Maintain user session state for web applications.

Message Queues

Use lists or streams for lightweight queuing systems.

Best Practices

• Use Valkey as a cache layer, not a primary database

• Enable persistence only when necessary

• Monitor memory usage closely

• Use replication or Sentinel setups for high availability

• Restrict access to internal cluster networking

Scaling and High Availability

Valkey deployments can be scaled by:

• Increasing resource presets (vertical scaling)

• Adding replicas (read scaling)

• Using Sentinel for automatic failover (if supported)

Cleanup

To remove the Valkey instance:

1. Navigate to the app Details page

2. Click Uninstall

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References

• Valkey Documentation

• Valkey GLIDE (official client libraries overview)

• Valkey GLIDE Python API

• Avaliable apps

• N8N application integration

• Dify application integration