# Serverless Redis

> Free Redis hosting at $0/mo, no card: 2 databases, 5 GB, 20 connections, TLS, and a web key-value console. Sleeps after 15 minutes idle, wakes on connect.

Canonical: https://layerbase.com/db/redis
Last updated: 2026-09-07

Free Redis, $0/mo with no card: a real endpoint in seconds, 2 databases, 5 GB, TLS by default, and the same redis-cli reflexes you already have. Cloud, desktop, or self-host.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Engine | Redis |
| Category | Key-Value |
| Upstream project | [Redis](https://redis.io/) |
| Layerbase Cloud | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan ($0/mo, no credit card), then $5 or $15/mo flat, no meters |
| Default version | 7.2 |
| Versions for new databases | 7.2 |
| Layerbase Desktop | Yes |
| SpinDB (local CLI) | Yes |
| Best for | Session stores, caches, rate limiters, pub/sub, queues, and anything that fits a key/value or sorted-set shape. |

## Use cases

- Drop a Redis cache in front of your database without managing a node
- Per-tenant session stores that scale to zero between bursts
- Rate limiting and feature flags at the edge with the serverless driver
- Real-time leaderboards and pub/sub for prototypes that go to production
- Self-host on your own hardware with the Layerbase CLI when compliance requires it

## Cloud features

| Feature | Available |
| --- | --- |
| Always-on option | Yes |
| TLS encryption | Yes |
| HTTP access | No |
| IP allowlisting | Yes |
| Web query console | Yes |
| Sleeps when idle, wakes on connect | Yes |
| Automatic backups | Yes |
| Pooled connections | No |
| Direct connections | Yes |
| Serverless HTTP driver | Yes |

## Talk to Redis over HTTP from the edge

Every Redis database on Layerbase exposes an Upstash-compatible REST endpoint alongside the normal TLS port. The Connect dialog shows a REST URL and a REST token: hand them to the @upstash/redis client, or to @vercel/kv which takes the same pair, and Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Edge, and anything else that cannot open a raw TCP socket reads and writes the same keys. redis-cli, ioredis, and redis-py keep working against the same database.

## Alternative

Or try Valkey, Redis-protocol-compatible and license-clean Valkey is the Linux Foundation fork of Redis that speaks the same wire protocol without the BSL/SSPL license complications. For new projects, point your client at Valkey instead: same redis-cli, same drivers, same commands.

https://layerbase.com/db/valkey

## Common Redis questions

### Is there a free Redis tier?

Yes, and it is a plan rather than a trial: Free is $0/mo, asks for no card, and has no expiry date. It covers 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections, with TLS on by default, snapshot persistence to disk, 1 manual backup slot you take and restore from the dashboard, a web key-value console, and the Upstash-compatible REST endpoint for edge runtimes (2,000 REST requests a day on Free, no daily limit on paid plans). What Free does not include is an always-on pool: a free Redis database hibernates after 15 minutes with no connections, so the first request after an idle spell pays the wake, roughly 1 to 5 seconds, as long as your client sends the TLS servername. Solo at $5/mo and Pro at $15/mo raise the connection cap to 100 and 500, add scheduled snapshots, and let you pin a database always-on.

### What is Redis?

Redis is an in-memory data store addressed through a small command set over keys and values, with sorted sets, lists, and pub/sub on top. It is the usual pick for caches, session stores, rate limiters, queues, and leaderboards rather than for primary application data. Layerbase runs it as a managed endpoint with TLS, a web key-value console, and an Upstash-compatible REST endpoint for runtimes that cannot hold a TCP socket.

### Which Redis version do you run?

Layerbase Cloud runs a Redis version from before the BSL/SSPL license transition, so existing Redis clients work unchanged. For new projects we recommend Valkey (a Linux Foundation fork) for cleaner licensing: same wire protocol, same drivers.

### Why does Layerbase offer Valkey as well as Redis?

Redis's license change put the upstream project under a source-available license that restricts redistribution. Valkey is the Linux Foundation's BSD-licensed fork of the last truly-open Redis version. For greenfield projects, Valkey is the safer long-term bet; for existing apps that depend on the upstream version, Redis on Layerbase still works.

### Can I connect with redis-cli and existing drivers?

Yes. The endpoint speaks the standard Redis wire protocol on the allocated TLS port. redis-cli, ioredis, redis-py, go-redis, Jedis: anything that talks Redis works. The connection string format matches what you would point at a self-hosted Redis.

### Is there a serverless HTTP driver for Redis?

Yes. Redis-family databases on Layerbase also speak the Upstash REST API, picked via the hostname suffix. That makes it usable from Cloudflare Workers and other edge runtimes that cannot hold a TCP connection.

### How do persistence and backups work for Redis on Layerbase?

Every Redis database snapshots to disk on the stock RDB save schedule, Free included, and hibernation shuts the server down with a final save, so a sleep and wake cycle does not cost you keys. AOF is off, which is the same trade a default Redis makes. Free also gets 1 manual backup slot, taken and restored from the dashboard; what the paid plans add on top is scheduled snapshots (7d or 30d retention) with one-click restore.

### What happens to a free Redis database when I stop using it?

It hibernates after 15 minutes idle, keeping its hostname, port, and data. If it stays hibernated for 14 days (7 days if you never connected to it) it is archived: the address is released and an explicit Restore, about 10 to 30 seconds, brings it back. Data and backups are kept. After 90 continuous days archived the live resources are reclaimed and the most recent backup is kept and still restorable. Paid plans are never auto-archived.

### Can I run the free Redis tier in production?

For a low-traffic side project, yes. For anything that cannot absorb a cold start, no: Free has no always-on pool, so an idle database sleeps and the first request after that pays the wake. Free also caps concurrent connections at 20 and gives you 1 manual backup slot rather than scheduled snapshots. Solo at $5/mo and Pro at $15/mo lift all three.

## Links

- [Redis on Layerbase](https://layerbase.com/db/redis)
- [Create a Redis database](https://layerbase.com/create/redis)
- [Connecting to Redis](https://layerbase.com/docs/cloud/connecting/redis)
- [Pricing](https://layerbase.com/pricing) (markdown: https://layerbase.com/pricing.md)