[ubuntu] Redis - Connect to Remote Server

I've just install Redis succesfully using the instructions on the Quick Start guide on http://redis.io/topics/quickstart on my Ubuntu 10.10 server. I'm running the service as dameon (so it can be run by init.d)

The server is part of Rackspace Cluster with Internal and External IPs. The host is running on port 6379 (standard for Redis)

I've added a row in the iptables to allow incoming connections from port 6379 as shown below:

 ACCEPT     tcp  --  anywhere             anywhere            tcp dpt:6379 

In my PHP code on another server, I'm trying to connect to the new Redis server here:

$this->load->helper("iredis");

$hostname = "IP ADDRESS HERE";

$redis = new iRedis(array('hostname' => $hostname, 'port' => 6379));

Once I do this - I always get a connection refused. In my redis.conf file, I have the local bind command commented out, so it should be listening on more than the localhost IP. I can connect to the database on the local machine just not on another server. I've tried the external and internal IPs with no luck.

Any suggestions on getting this to work?

I was struggling with the remote connection to Redis for some days. Finally I made it. Here is the full check list I put together to follow to get connected. Some of solutions are given in the answers above. Yet I wanted my answer to be a nano-wiki on the subject:) I added some useful links too.

If redis works locally:

$ redis-cli
127.0.0.1:6379>ping
PONG
127.0.0.1:6379>

If the password is not set

See /etc/redis/redis.conf config (this is default locaion for Ubuntu 18.04, you may have it in the different location):

# The following line should be commented
# requirepass <some pass if any>

If the protected mode is set to 'no' in the config:

# The following line should be uncommented
protected-mode no

if the IP binding is open for an access from internet in the config:

# The following line should be commented
# bind 127.0.0.1 ::1

If the Linux firewall allows connections

(here for Ubuntu 18.04) Check it allows for incoming internet traffic to go to port 6379 (the Redis default port)

# To check if it the port is open
$ sudo ufw status
Status: active

To                         Action      From
--                         ------      ----
...
6379/tcp                   ALLOW       Anywhere
6379/tcp (v6)              ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)
...

# To open the port
$ sudo ufw allow 6379/tcp

Restart Redis service

Do not forget to restart the Redis service for changes to take effect and see it is running:

$ sudo systemctl restart redis.service
$ sudo systemctl status redis

Check if it works as a remote server

from your command line use redis-cli as if Redis server were on the remote server:

$ redis-cli -h <your-server-ip>
<your-server-ip>:6379> ping
PONG
<your-server-ip>:6379> exit
$

If you can ping-PONG your Redis server via your internet server connected as a remote server than the remote Redis connection works.

Security Warning

All the above makes your Redis data to be completely open to anybody from the internet.

To basically secure Redis use requirepass and protected-mode yes settings in Redis config (see above) and block the dangerous Redis commands (see the link above), for a deeper understanding see this article and Redis site security section ).

Useful links

Some links to help How to install and secure Redis on Ubuntu 18.04 and how to setup Ubuntu 18.04 firewall.

Hope it helps.

• if you downloaded redis yourself (not apt-get install redis-server) and then edited the redis.conf with the above suggestions, make sure your start redis with the config like so: ./src/redis-server redis.conf

  • also side note i am including a screenshot of virtual box setting to connect to redis, if you are on windows and connecting to a virtualbox vm.

In addition to the excellent answer given by Orabîg:

I resolved this issue by removing the bind section entirely and setting protected-mode to no.

#bind 127.0.0.1
protected-mode no

Never use this method on publicly exposed servers.

I've been stuck with the same issue, and the preceding answer did not help me (albeit well written).

The solution is here : check your /etc/redis/redis.conf, and make sure to change the default

bind 127.0.0.1

to

bind 0.0.0.0

Then restart your service (service redis-server restart)

You can then now check that redis is listening on non-local interface with

redis-cli -h 192.168.x.x ping

(replace 192.168.x.x with your IP adress)

Important note : as several users stated, it is not safe to set this on a server which is exposed to the Internet. You should be certain that you redis is protected with any means that fits your needs.

Orabig is correct.

You can bind 10.0.2.15 in Ubuntu (VirtualBox) then do a port forwarding from host to guest Ubuntu.

in /etc/redis/redis.conf

bind 10.0.2.15

then, restart redis:

sudo systemctl restart redis

It shall work!

Setting tcp-keepalive to 60 (it was set to 0) in server's redis configuration helped me resolve this issue.