bex Key Value
bex Key Value provides low-latency, Redis-compatible in-memory storage running Valkey 8. Use it as a shared cache, session store, or job queue backend. Compatible with virtually all Redis client libraries.
When to Use
- Adding a cache or session store to a web app
- Wiring a job queue backend for Celery, Sidekiq, BullMQ, Asynq, or Oban
- Choosing the right maxmemory policy (cache vs queue)
- Configuring ipAllowList in Blueprints (required field)
- Connecting via internal vs external URLs
- Troubleshooting auth failures or connection refused errors
For background worker setup and queue framework patterns, see bex-background-workers. For Blueprint authoring, see bex-blueprints.
Before configuring or troubleshooting an internal Key Value connection, read references/private-networking.md.
Key Concepts
Valkey 8 (not Redis)
New instances run Valkey 8, an open-source Redis fork. It is a drop-in replacement for Redis—existing Redis client libraries work without changes. Legacy instances (created before Feb 2025) run Redis 6.
Connection URLs
Every instance has two URLs:
| URL type | When to use | Auth required |
|---|
Internal (redis://red-xxx:6379) | From bex services in the same workspace and region | No (by default) |
External (rediss://red-xxx:6379) | From outside bex (local dev, CI) | Always |
Always prefer the internal URL for production services—lower latency, no TLS overhead, communicates over the private network.
External connections are disabled by default. Enable them by adding IP ranges to the access control list in the Dashboard.
Internal authentication
By default, internal connections are unauthenticated. You can require auth for internal connections in the Dashboard for compliance or extra security. This changes the internal URL to include credentials:
redis://default:PASSWORD@red-xxx:6379
Warning: Enabling internal auth breaks existing unauthenticated connections. Migrate clients to the authenticated URL first.
Maxmemory Policy
Critical decision. Choose based on your use case:
| Use case | Policy | Why |
|---|
| Cache (can lose data) | allkeys-lru | Evicts least-recently-used keys to free space |
| Job queue (cannot lose data) | noeviction | Returns error on writes when full; never drops keys |
| Session store | allkeys-lru or volatile-lru | Sessions can be regenerated; LRU is safe |
All available policies:
| Policy | Behavior | Memory fills up? |
|---|
allkeys-lru | Evict any key by LRU | No |
noeviction | Error on writes when full | Yes |
volatile-lru | Evict keys with TTL by LRU | Yes |
volatile-lfu | Evict keys with TTL by LFU | Yes |
allkeys-lfu | Evict any key by LFU | No |
volatile-random | Evict random keys with TTL | Yes |
allkeys-random | Evict any random key | No |
volatile-ttl | Evict keys nearest to expiry | Yes |
Blueprint Configuration
services:
- type: keyvalue
name: cache
plan: starter
region: oregon
maxmemoryPolicy: allkeys-lru
ipAllowList: []
ipAllowList is required
Blueprints must include ipAllowList on Key Value services. Common patterns:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|
[] | No external access (internal only—recommended for most apps) |
[{source: "0.0.0.0/0", description: "everywhere"}] | Open external access (use sparingly) |
[{source: "203.0.113.0/24", description: "office"}] | Specific IP ranges |
Wiring to services
Use fromService with type: keyvalue and property: connectionString:
envVars:
- key: REDIS_URL
fromService:
name: cache
type: keyvalue
property: connectionString
Available fromService properties for Key Value:
| Property | Value |
|---|
connectionString | Full internal URL (redis://red-xxx:6379) |
host | Hostname only |
port | Port only (typically 6379) |
Data Persistence
- Paid instances: Disk-backed,
appendfsync everysec. You may lose up to 1 second of writes on interruption.
- Free instances: No disk persistence. Data is lost on restart or upgrade.
- Upgrading from Free: All data is lost during the upgrade because Free instances have no disk.
Compute Plans and Changes
The compute plan determines available memory and connection limits. Use references/compute-plans.md for current Plan IDs and Key Value-specific change guidance.
Connection Examples
See references/connection-examples.md for client code in Node.js (ioredis, node-redis), Python (redis-py), Ruby (redis-rb, Sidekiq), and Go.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|
Missing ipAllowList in Blueprint | Add ipAllowList: [] for internal-only access |
Using allkeys-lru for job queues | Switch to noeviction—LRU eviction drops queued jobs |
| Connecting with external URL from a bex service | Use the internal URL for lower latency and no auth requirement |
Forgetting type: keyvalue in fromService | type is required; without it the wiring fails |
Using deprecated redis type alias | Prefer keyvalue in new Blueprints (redis still works but is deprecated) |
References
| Document | Contents |
|---|
references/compute-plans.md | Current Plan IDs, specifications, availability, and Key Value plan changes |
references/private-networking.md | Current private-network scope, internal addressing, isolation, and troubleshooting |
references/connection-examples.md | Client code for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go |
references/troubleshooting.md | Auth errors, connection refused, memory full, migration from Redis 6 |
Related Skills
- bex-background-workers — Queue consumer setup with Celery, Sidekiq, BullMQ
- bex-blueprints — Full
render.yaml schema, fromService patterns
- bex-networking — Private network, internal URLs
- bex-env-vars — Wiring
REDIS_URL and other connection vars
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