Setting Up Redis (Optional)

Redis is an in-memory data structure store that can significantly improve the performance of your Spoo.me deployment by providing caching capabilities. While Redis is optional, it’s highly recommended for production deployments that expect high traffic volumes.

Redis integration is completely optional. Your Spoo.me instance will work perfectly without Redis, but adding it can improve response times and reduce database load.

Benefits of Adding Redis

✅ Faster Response Times: Cache frequently accessed URLs and analytics data

✅ Reduced Database Load: Fewer queries to MongoDB for popular URLs

✅ Rate Limiting: Implement sophisticated rate limiting and abuse prevention

When to Add Redis

Consider adding Redis to your deployment if:

You want to improve user experience with faster load times
You expect high traffic volumes (>1000 URLs shortened per day)
Your MongoDB is showing performance bottlenecks
You’re running multiple server instances or using serverless platforms like vercel and need shared caching

For small-scale personal deployments with low traffic, Redis may add unnecessary complexity without significant benefits.

Installation Options

Choose the Redis setup method that best fits your deployment:

Best for: Production deployments and cloud hosting

Cloud Redis services handle maintenance, backups, and scaling automatically.

Vercel Redis

Free Tier: 30mb storage, perfect for caching
Managed Service: Automatic updates and monitoring
Closer to Vercel Nodes: If you’re using Vercel, Redis is closer to your application nodes, reducing latency

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

Free Tier: 30MB storage, perfect for caching
Managed Service: Automatic updates and monitoring
Global Availability: Low-latency access worldwide

AWS ElastiCache

Integration: Perfect if using AWS for hosting
Scaling: Easy to scale up as needed
Security: VPC integration and encryption

Google Cloud Memorystore

Integration: Ideal for Google Cloud deployments
Performance: High-performance SSD storage
Monitoring: Built-in monitoring and alerting

Best for: Production deployments and cloud hosting

Cloud Redis services handle maintenance, backups, and scaling automatically.

Vercel Redis

Free Tier: 30mb storage, perfect for caching
Managed Service: Automatic updates and monitoring
Closer to Vercel Nodes: If you’re using Vercel, Redis is closer to your application nodes, reducing latency

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

Free Tier: 30MB storage, perfect for caching
Managed Service: Automatic updates and monitoring
Global Availability: Low-latency access worldwide

AWS ElastiCache

Integration: Perfect if using AWS for hosting
Scaling: Easy to scale up as needed
Security: VPC integration and encryption

Google Cloud Memorystore

Integration: Ideal for Google Cloud deployments
Performance: High-performance SSD storage
Monitoring: Built-in monitoring and alerting

Best for: Local development and custom server deployments

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install Redis
sudo apt install -y redis-server

# Start Redis service
sudo systemctl start redis-server
sudo systemctl enable redis-server

# Test installation
redis-cli ping
# Should return: PONG

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install Redis
sudo apt install -y redis-server

# Start Redis service
sudo systemctl start redis-server
sudo systemctl enable redis-server

# Test installation
redis-cli ping
# Should return: PONG

# Install Redis
sudo yum install -y redis
# or for newer versions:
sudo dnf install -y redis

# Start Redis service
sudo systemctl start redis
sudo systemctl enable redis

# Test installation
redis-cli ping

# Install using Homebrew
brew install redis

# Start Redis
brew services start redis

# Test installation
redis-cli ping

Redis doesn’t officially support Windows, but you can use:

WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux): Install Redis in WSL
Docker: Run Redis in a Docker container
Redis for Windows: Use the Microsoft port (not recommended for production)

# Using Docker (recommended)
docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:alpine

Best for: Containerized deployments and development

# Run Redis in Docker
docker run -d \
  --name redis \
  -p 6379:6379 \
  -v redis_data:/data \
  redis:alpine

# Or add to your docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'
services:
  redis:
    image: redis:alpine
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: redis-server --appendonly yes

volumes:
  redis_data:

Cloud Redis Setup (Recommended)

Redis Cloud Setup

Create Redis Cloud Account

Visit Redis Cloud and sign up for a free account
Verify your email address
Complete the account setup process

The free tier provides 30MB of storage, which is sufficient for caching in most Spoo.me deployments.

Create a Database

In the Redis Cloud dashboard, click “New Database”
Choose “Fixed” plan (free tier)
Select your preferred cloud provider (AWS recommended)
Choose a region closest to your Spoo.me deployment
Set a database name (e.g., “spoo-me-cache”)
Click “Create Database”

Wait for the database to be created. This usually takes 2-3 minutes.

Get Connection Details

Once your database is ready:

Click on your database name
Go to the “Configuration” tab
Copy the “Public endpoint” (something like: redis-12345.c1.us-west-2.cache.amazonaws.com:6379)
Note the “Default user password”

Your Redis URL will be in this format:

redis://default:[email protected]:6379

Test Connection

Test your Redis connection:

# Install redis-cli if not already installed
sudo apt install redis-tools  # Ubuntu/Debian
brew install redis            # macOS

# Test connection
redis-cli -u "redis://default:your-password@your-redis-endpoint:6379" ping

You should receive a “PONG” response confirming the connection works.

Configuring Spoo.me with Redis

Environment Variables

Add Redis configuration to your .env file:

# Redis Configuration
REDIS_URI=redis://default:your-password@your-redis-endpoint:6379
REDIS_TTL_SECONDS=3600          # Cache TTL in seconds (1 hour)

Troubleshooting Redis Issues

Connection Errors

Performance Issues

Cache Inconsistency

Redis Running Out of Memory

Symptoms: Redis stops accepting writes, memory errors

Solutions:

# Check current memory usage
redis-cli info memory

# Set memory limit and eviction policy
redis-cli config set maxmemory 256mb
redis-cli config set maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru

# Clear specific keys if needed
redis-cli del "pattern:*"

# Monitor memory usage over time
watch -n 1 'redis-cli info memory | grep used_memory_human'

Redis integration is optional but can significantly improve your Spoo.me deployment’s performance and scalability. Start with basic caching and gradually add more advanced features as needed.

Getting Started

API Reference

Tools & Libraries

Self Hosting

Setting Up Redis (Optional)

Benefits of Adding Redis

When to Add Redis

Installation Options

Vercel Redis

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

AWS ElastiCache

Google Cloud Memorystore

Vercel Redis

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

AWS ElastiCache

Google Cloud Memorystore

Cloud Redis Setup (Recommended)

Redis Cloud Setup

Configuring Spoo.me with Redis

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting Redis Issues

Getting Started

API Reference

Tools & Libraries

Self Hosting

​Benefits of Adding Redis

​When to Add Redis

​Installation Options

​Vercel Redis

​Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

​AWS ElastiCache

​Google Cloud Memorystore

​Vercel Redis

​Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

​AWS ElastiCache

​Google Cloud Memorystore

​Cloud Redis Setup (Recommended)

​Redis Cloud Setup

​Configuring Spoo.me with Redis

​Environment Variables

​Troubleshooting Redis Issues

Benefits of Adding Redis

When to Add Redis

Installation Options

Vercel Redis

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

AWS ElastiCache

Google Cloud Memorystore

Vercel Redis

Redis Cloud (Redis Labs)

AWS ElastiCache

Google Cloud Memorystore

Cloud Redis Setup (Recommended)

Redis Cloud Setup

Configuring Spoo.me with Redis

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting Redis Issues