Install Redis on Windows with WSL

So you want to use Redis — the lightning-fast in-memory data store — but you're on Windows and the official Redis binaries don't ship for your OS. Spin up a VM? Dual-boot? No. The cleanest, most developer-friendly path is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). By the end of this lesson you'll have a fully functional Redis server running inside WSL, connected from both Linux and Windows, ready for caching, queues, and real-time data.

The problem this lesson solves

Redis is a first-class citizen on Linux and macOS, but the Windows port has always lagged behind. Microsoft once maintained a Tech Preview fork, but it's outdated, unsupported, and incompatible with modern Redis features (like Redis Stack and ACLs). Trying to run Redis on bare Windows leads to: - Old versions without security patches - No official support for Redis modules (RediSearch, RedisJSON, etc.) - Confusing redis-server.exe vs wsl.exe workflows - WSL solves this by giving you a genuine Linux kernel environment where Redis runs exactly as it does in production — no emulation, no compromises.

Core concept / mental model

Think of WSL as a thin virtualisation layer — not a full VM, not a container, but a lightweight Linux subsystem that shares your Windows file system and network stack. WSL 2 uses a real Linux kernel inside a managed VM, giving Redis near-native performance. The mental model: - Windows is your host OS with cmd, PowerShell, VS Code, and GUI tools - WSL is a guest Linux distro (usually Ubuntu) that lives in a hidden folder and boots on demand - Redis runs inside WSL as a regular Linux process, listening on 127.0.0.1:6379 - Both sides can talk to each other: Windows apps see localhost:6379; Linux apps see the same port

Pro tip: WSL 2 is required for best Redis performance. WSL 1 uses a translation layer and can cause latency spikes. Always run wsl --set-version <distro> 2 after install.

How it works step by step

1. Enable WSL on Windows — requires Windows 10 (build 19041+) or Windows 11. This installs the wsl.exe CLI and optional Linux kernel update.
2. Install a Linux distribution — Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is the most common choice, available from the Microsoft Store or via wsl --install -d Ubuntu.
3. Launch WSL — Ubuntu boots in seconds, giving you a full Bash shell.
4. Update packages — sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y ensures a fresh environment.
5. Install Redis — Ubuntu’s default repositories contain Redis 6.x (stable enough for learning). For the latest 7.x, add the Redis Team’s APT repository.
6. Start Redis — sudo service redis-server start (or redis-server directly for foreground mode).
7. Test the connection — redis-cli ping should reply PONG.
8. Connect from Windows — any Windows app (Python, .NET, RedisInsight) can reach 127.0.0.1:6379.

Hands-on walkthrough

Enable WSL and install Ubuntu

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

# Install WSL and default Ubuntu distro
wsl --install

# Restart your machine when prompted
Restart-Computer

After reboot, Ubuntu will start automatically and ask you to create a Linux username/password. Verify WSL 2 mode:

wsl -l -v
# NAME      STATE           VERSION
# Ubuntu    Running         2

Inside WSL: install Redis using APT

# Enter WSL if not already there
wsl ~

# Update package lists
sudo apt update

# Install Redis (this installs redis-server + redis-cli + redis-sentinel)
sudo apt install redis-server -y

# Verify version
redis-server --version
# Redis server v=6.0.16 ...

Start Redis and test

# Start the Redis server as a background service
sudo service redis-server start

# Or run interactively (Ctrl+C to stop)
redis-server --port 6379

# Test with redis-cli from another WSL terminal (or the same one)
redis-cli ping
# PONG

# Set and get a key
redis-cli set mykey "Hello from WSL!"
# OK
redis-cli get mykey
# "Hello from WSL!"

Pro tip: To make Redis start automatically when WSL boots, add sudo service redis-server start to your ~/.bashrc or use a systemd-like approach with sudo systemctl enable redis-server (only in distros that support systemd).

Connect from Windows

Open PowerShell and ping Redis from the Windows side:

# redis-cli.exe is not installed on Windows, but you can use telnet or Python
python -c "import redis; r = redis.Redis(host='localhost', port=6379); print(r.ping())"
# True (if redis-py is installed)

Or use redis-cli directly from inside WSL but run the command from Windows’ cmd:

wsl redis-cli ping

Compare options / when to choose what

• Choose WSL 2 for local development where you need the exact same Redis as production.
• Choose Docker if you already containerise your entire stack.
• Avoid native Windows Redis unless you're stuck on an old Windows version without WSL support.

Troubleshooting & edge cases

• "WSL 2 requires an update" — download the Linux kernel update package from Microsoft’s docs (https://aka.ms/wsl2kernel).
• Redis fails to start: "Cannot open PID file" — likely a permissions issue. Run sudo mkdir -p /var/run/redis && sudo chmod 777 /var/run/redis.
• Redis starts but connection refused — check if Redis is bound to 127.0.0.1 only. WSL interop works fine with default config. If using bind 0.0.0.0, ensure firewall allows port 6379.
• "redis-cli: command not found" — Redis CLI is part of redis-tools. Install with sudo apt install redis-tools.
• Auto-start doesn't work — WSL doesn't support systemd natively. Use sudo crontab -e and add @reboot /usr/bin/redis-server /etc/redis/redis.conf or use wsl --exec in a Windows Task Scheduler trigger.
• Port conflicts — if another service uses 6379 (rare), edit /etc/redis/redis.conf and change port 6379 to another number, then restart Redis.

What you learned & what's next

You now know how to install Redis on Windows with WSL — from enabling the subsystem to starting the server and connecting from both Linux and Windows. You understand why WSL 2 is the recommended approach and have a mental model for how Redis runs inside a Linux environment on Windows.

Key takeaways: 1. WSL 2 gives you a real Linux kernel — Redis runs as in production. 2. The redis-server and redis-cli tools work exactly like on Linux. 3. Windows apps can talk to Redis via localhost:6379 without extra configuration. 4. Avoid the deprecated native Windows port — it's insecure and outdated. 5. Auto-start Redis by adding the start command to ~/.bashrc or using systemd if your distro supports it.

Next lesson: Now that Redis is running, you'll learn Redis data types — strings, lists, sets, hashes, and sorted sets — the building blocks for caching, real-time leaderboards, and message queues.

Ready to go deeper? Install redis-py on your Windows Python environment and start sending commands right from VS Code.