Question 1

What is Valkey and how does it relate to Redis?

Accepted Answer

Valkey is an open-source, high-performance key-value datastore that was forked from Redis 7.2 and is maintained by the Linux Foundation. It is fully compatible with the Redis protocol and command set, meaning existing Redis clients, tools, and applications work with Valkey without modification. Valkey was created to ensure the continued open-source development of the in-memory datastore under a permissive BSD license.

Question 2

What is the best way to run Valkey on Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

For production environments, we recommend using a Kubernetes operator that supports Valkey, or deploying via Bitnami Valkey Helm charts which provide well-tested configurations out of the box. Key considerations include using StatefulSets for stable network identities, PersistentVolumeClaims for data durability, and proper resource requests/limits. Since Valkey is protocol-compatible with Redis, operators designed for Redis (such as the Spotahome or OT-Container-Kit operators) can also be adapted for Valkey deployments.

Question 3

How does Valkey achieve high availability on Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

Valkey achieves high availability through Sentinel or Cluster mode, inheriting these proven HA topologies from its Redis heritage. Sentinel monitors primary instances and automatically promotes a replica when the primary fails, typically completing failover in under 30 seconds. Valkey Cluster distributes data across multiple shards with built-in replication. Kubernetes operators manage these topologies by handling pod scheduling, anti-affinity rules, and automated failover orchestration.

Question 4

Should I migrate from Redis to Valkey on Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

Migrating from Redis to Valkey on Kubernetes is straightforward due to full protocol and command compatibility. Key benefits of Valkey include its permissive BSD license, Linux Foundation governance, and active open-source community. You can perform a rolling migration by deploying Valkey replicas alongside Redis primaries and promoting them once replication catches up. Existing Redis clients, Sentinel, and Cluster configurations work with Valkey without changes.

Question 5

How do I handle persistent storage for Valkey on Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

Use PersistentVolumeClaims (PVCs) with StatefulSets to ensure data survives pod restarts and rescheduling. Choose a StorageClass that matches your performance needs — SSD-backed storage is recommended for Valkey workloads. Configure Valkey with AOF (Append-Only File) persistence for durability, or RDB snapshots for periodic backups. For production, enable both AOF and RDB. Ensure your PVC reclaim policy is set to Retain to prevent data loss during cluster operations.

Question 6

How do I monitor Valkey running on Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

Valkey exposes the same metrics interface as Redis, so you can deploy a Redis/Valkey Exporter as a sidecar container to expose metrics in Prometheus format. Key metrics to monitor include memory usage, connected clients, keyspace hits/misses, replication lag, and command latency. Use Grafana dashboards for visualization and set up alerts for high memory usage, replication disconnects, and elevated latency. Kubernetes-native monitoring with Prometheus Operator and kube-state-metrics provides pod-level health alongside Valkey-specific metrics.

Valkey onKubernetes

Valkey on K8s Architecture

Comprehensive Valkey on Kubernetes Services

Valkey vs Redis on Kubernetes

Our Valkey on Kubernetes Implementation Process

Assessment & Planning

K8s Deployment

Testing & Validation

Production & Observability

Valkey on Kubernetes — Frequently Asked Questions

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