Redis vs Valkey Explained using AWS ElastiCache Serverless | Complete Demo

Summary

In this video, Abhishek introduces Valky, an open-source high-performance key-value data store, and explains why companies are migrating from Redis to Valky. He discusses Valky's performance advantages, including better throughput and latency, and its open-source BSD license. Abhishek demonstrates how to easily install and configure Valky using Amazon Elasticache serverless, including a comparison between Valky and Redis performance through a Python benchmarking script. He also shows how to seamlessly upgrade from Redis OSS to Valky without downtime. The video offers clear insights into Valky’s benefits and setup for developers and businesses.

Takeaways

• 😀 Valky is an open-source, high-performance key-value data store that is gaining popularity due to its strong community and fast-growing open-source project.
• 😀 Valky is a flexible alternative to Redis, offering a BSD license, which makes it more permissive and suitable for various workloads like caching, messaging queues, and session storage.
• 😀 Companies are migrating from Redis to Valky due to Redis' changing licenses (from open-source to closed-source and now AGPL), creating uncertainty among developers and organizations.
• 😀 Valky is backed by the Linux Foundation, ensuring it remains an open-source project, which adds stability for businesses looking for long-term support.
• 😀 The performance of Valky surpasses Redis in terms of throughput and latency, which is a key factor driving organizations to switch.
• 😀 Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky offers an easy way to deploy and manage Valky without worrying about infrastructure or downtime, making it ideal for businesses.
• 😀 Using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky can save up to 33% in costs compared to node-based Elastic Cache models.
• 😀 The setup process for Valky in Amazon Elastic Cache is simple: create a new cache instance, configure options like encryption, and get started with the service in minutes.
• 😀 Benchmarking tests between Redis and Valky show that Valky performs better, especially in terms of set operation throughput and latency, making it a superior caching service.
• 😀 Upgrading from Redis to Valky using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless is seamless and requires just a simple click of a button, ensuring zero downtime during the migration.
• 😀 Valky keeps its API fully compatible with Redis, making the upgrade process easier for developers who don’t want to change their existing application logic.

Q & A

What is Valky?

Valky is an open-source, high-performance key-value data store, one of the fastest-growing open-source projects with over 21,000 GitHub stars and close to 800 contributors. It is licensed under the BSD type, making it a permissive alternative to Redis, and can be used for caching, messaging queues, session storage, or as a primary database.

Why are companies moving from Redis to Valky?

Companies are moving from Redis to Valky mainly due to three reasons: frequent changes in Redis’s licensing (from open-source to closed-source and later to AGPL), the growth of Valky's community and features, and Valky’s enhanced performance, especially in terms of lower latency and higher throughput.

How does Valky perform compared to Redis in terms of latency and throughput?

Based on benchmarking results, Valky outperforms Redis in key performance metrics such as set throughput and latency. Valky shows better performance, particularly in P99 latency, which is crucial for high-performance applications.

What is Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky?

Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky is a fully managed service that allows you to run Valky in production without managing infrastructure or downtime. It is cost-effective and highly scalable, with zero infrastructure management and zero downtime maintenance.

What are the steps to install Valky using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless?

To install Valky using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless, log into your AWS account, search for Elastic Cache, choose Valky, configure settings such as engine version, and click 'Create'. After a few minutes, your Valky instance will be ready to use, and you can connect using AWS CloudShell or client libraries.

How does AWS CloudShell help when using Valky?

AWS CloudShell allows you to quickly connect to your newly created Valky cache instance. It is pre-configured with the Valky CLI, making it easy to run commands like ping or set/get operations directly from the shell without needing additional configuration.

What is the benchmarking script used for comparing Redis and Valky?

The benchmarking script performs 10,000 operations (set, get, delete) on both Redis and Valky caches. It calculates important metrics such as throughput and latency (P50, P90, P99), helping to compare the performance of both services.

What are the results of the performance comparison between Redis and Valky?

The benchmarking results show that Valky outperforms Redis in set throughput and latency, especially in the P99 latency metric. This indicates that Valky provides faster and more consistent performance compared to Redis.

How do you upgrade from Redis OSS to Valky using Elastic Cache?

Upgrading from Redis OSS to Valky in Amazon Elastic Cache is simple. You just need to click the 'Upgrade to Valky' button in the AWS Console, select the desired Valky engine version, and confirm. The upgrade happens quickly and maintains compatibility with Redis, so most of your APIs and commands will continue to work seamlessly.

What is the benefit of using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky?

The primary benefit of using Amazon Elastic Cache serverless for Valky is that it is fully managed, requiring no infrastructure management or maintenance. It scales automatically based on your usage, reduces operational complexity, and offers a cost-effective solution, especially with free trial options available through AWS.