Valkey: The Open Fork After Redis’s License Change
Actualizado: 2026-05-03
On March 20, 2024, Redis Inc announced that Redis 7.4+ would move from BSD to dual SSPL/RSAL licence — not OSI-approved, with restrictions for competing cloud providers. In response, Valkey[1] was forked on March 28 with backing from AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, and the Linux Foundation. This article explains what the split implies and how to decide today.
Key takeaways
- Valkey is a direct fork of Redis 7.2.4 (last BSD version), under BSD 3-Clause licence.
- 100% protocol-compatible with Redis 7.2: existing clients (redis-py, ioredis, go-redis, Jedis) work with no code changes.
- AWS ElastiCache and GCP Memorystore adopted Valkey as their primary option by mid-2024.
- Valkey 8.0 adds improved multi-threaded I/O and claims ~20% better throughput than Redis 7.2.
- The decision between Valkey and Redis is ultimately about licence and compliance, not performance.
What changed in Redis
SSPL restricts commercial use for anyone offering competing Redis-as-a-service. For most self-hosting users, nothing practically changes. For AWS ElastiCache and GCP Memorystore, the problem was immediate.
Compatibility and migration
Valkey 7.2 and 8.0 are 100% protocol-compatible with Redis 7.2. Configuration files, all major client libraries, and RDB/AOF files work directly. Migrating from Redis 7.2 to Valkey 7.2 is, in practice, changing the binary or Docker image.
Fast adoption
AWS ElastiCache Serverless made Valkey the primary option by mid-2024. GCP Memorystore followed. Fedora, RHEL, and Debian added Valkey to official repositories replacing Redis. The speed of adoption reflects an ecosystem that was waiting for a clear BSD alternative.
Practical decision
Choose Valkey if: using AWS/GCP managed, want strict BSD licence for your organisation’s compliance, don’t need post-7.4 Redis features.
Keep Redis if: on Redis Cloud, need Redis Stack features in fully integrated mode, require Redis Inc enterprise support.
For most developers and mid-size companies, Valkey is the sensible choice: compatible, BSD, strong backing.
Conclusion
Valkey is the natural successor to Redis BSD for those valuing genuine open source. AWS and Google have put real weight behind the fork. The decision is ultimately about compliance and philosophy: Valkey guarantees a BSD future; Redis continues with a commercial bet. Both will remain relevant, but Valkey has the OSS ecosystem momentum in its favour.
