How to Run Redis with Docker Compose

Prerequisites

Environment Requirements

The steps in this guide are mainly based on Linux systems. If you are using Windows or macOS with Docker Desktop, you can follow along as well.

Test Environment:

  • Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
  • Docker version 28.3.3, build 980b856
  • Docker Compose version v2.39.1

Install Docker

If you have not installed Docker yet, refer to the official documentation: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

The latest Docker Engine already includes Docker Compose, so no need for separate installation.

Step 1: Create Configuration Files

First, create a folder to store Redis configuration files and navigate into it:

mkdir ./redis
cd ./redis

Next, create the docker-compose.yml file:

cat << EOF > docker-compose.yml
services:
  redis:
    image: redis:latest
    container_name: docker_redis
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
    command: redis-server --appendonly yes --aclfile /etc/redis/users.acl
    volumes:
      - ./data/redis:/data
      - ./users.acl:/etc/redis/users.acl
EOF

Explanation:

  • image: redis:latest: Use the latest Redis image.
  • container_name: docker_redis: Name the container for easier identification.
  • ports: - "6379:6379": Map host port 6379 to container port 6379.
  • command: Command executed at container start, enabling persistence and ACL file.
  • volumes: Mount host directories/files for persistence and configuration sharing.

Now, create the users.acl file to configure Redis users:

touch users.acl

cat << EOF > users.acl
user default off -@all
user redisuser on >redispassword +@all ~*
EOF

Explanation:

  • user default off -@all: Disable the default user for security.
  • user redisuser on >redispassword +@all ~*: Create redisuser with password redispassword and grant full permissions.

Step 2: Start Redis Container

From the redis folder, start the container with:

docker compose up -d

The -d flag runs the container in detached mode. Docker Compose will pull the redis:latest image from Docker Hub.

Check container status:

docker compose ps

Expected output if successful:

NAME           IMAGE          COMMAND                  SERVICE   CREATED       STATUS       PORTS
docker_redis   redis:latest   "docker-entrypoint.s…"   redis     2 hours ago   Up 2 hours   0.0.0.0:6379->6379/tcp, [::]:6379->6379/tcp

Step 3: Verify Redis is Running

You can test Redis in two ways.

Method 1: Use redis-cli

Install the CLI tool:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install redis-tools

Connect to Redis:

redis-cli -h 127.0.0.1 -p 6379

Authenticate and test:

127.0.0.1:6379> auth redisuser redispassword
OK
127.0.0.1:6379> set mytestkey 1
OK
127.0.0.1:6379> get mytestkey
"1"
127.0.0.1:6379> exit

Method 2: Inside the Container

Exec into the running container:

docker exec -it docker_redis redis-cli

Authenticate and test inside the container:

127.0.0.1:6379> auth redisuser redispassword
OK
127.0.0.1:6379> set mytestkey 1
OK
127.0.0.1:6379> get mytestkey
"1"
127.0.0.1:6379> exit

If both methods return the same results, Redis is running successfully. You can now connect to Redis from your applications.

End of Article

August 23, 2025