Run Redis with Docker

Docker is the fastest path to a local Redis

You do not need to install Redis on your machine. A single docker run command pulls the official image and starts a ready-to-use server in seconds.

🎁 Run Redis in Docker first

Start a local Redis, then open its CLI:

docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine
docker exec -it redis redis-cli

Leave this CLI open and paste each lesson's commands into it. (No Docker? Install Redis locally.)

The default command explained

docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine

Flag	What it does
-d	Run in detached (background) mode so your terminal stays free
--name redis	Give the container a stable name you can reference in later commands
-p 6379:6379	Publish port 6379 from the container to your host on the same port
redis:7-alpine	Use the official Redis 7 image built on Alpine Linux — small and fast

Connecting with redis-cli

Once the container is running, open an interactive CLI session inside it:

docker exec -it redis redis-cli

docker exec runs a command inside a running container. -it allocates an interactive TTY so you get the familiar 127.0.0.1:6379> prompt. From there you can run any Redis command.

🟥 Name the container and publish port 6379

--name redis lets every subsequent command refer to the container by name instead of a hash (e.g. docker stop redis instead of docker stop a3f9…). -p 6379:6379 exposes the port so any Redis client on your host — redis-cli, your application, or a GUI tool — can connect to 127.0.0.1:6379 without extra configuration.

Adding persistence with a named volume

By default the container stores data in a temporary layer that disappears when you remove the container. Attach a named volume to keep your data across restarts:

docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 -v redisdata:/data redis:7-alpine

Docker creates the redisdata volume automatically. The /data path is where the official Redis image writes its dump.rdb snapshot file.

Container lifecycle

# Stop the running container (Redis shuts down cleanly)
docker stop redis

# Start it again — data in the named volume is preserved
docker start redis

# Remove the container entirely (volume survives unless you also delete it)
docker rm redis

Viewing logs

# Print all logs produced so far
docker logs redis

# Follow logs in real time (Ctrl-C to stop)
docker logs -f redis

The logs show the Redis startup banner, the port it is listening on, and any warnings — useful for diagnosing configuration issues.

docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine
docker exec -it redis redis-cli

Copy commands ⧉

What does the `-d` flag do in `docker run -d`?

Deletes the container after it exits Runs the container in detached (background) mode Disables networking for the container Downloads the image without starting it

Which flag publishes the Redis port so your host can connect to it?

--name redis -v redisdata:/data -p 6379:6379 --expose 6379

How do you open an interactive redis-cli session inside the running container?

docker attach redis docker exec -it redis redis-cli docker run -it redis redis-cli docker connect redis

Submit

Mark as complete