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ElastiCache: Migrate from Redis to Valkey

Difficulty: Easy

Description

These clusters run Redis OSS. Valkey is compatible with it and AWS prices it lower: about 20% less for node-based clusters and 33% less for serverless caches. The upgrade can be done in place.

Selection Criteria

  • The ElastiCache cluster uses the redis engine (not already valkey).

  • The Redis version is ≤ 7.2 (fully compatible with Valkey API).

  • ⚠️ Redis 7.4+ : uses a proprietary license — migration to Valkey is technically possible but Redis-specific modules (RedisSearch, RedisJSON, RedisBloom) are not available on Valkey.

Expected Saving

Cluster Mode

Estimated Savings vs Redis

Provisioned instances

~20%

Serverless

~32%

⚠️ Savings calculations are currently based on estimated percentages. Real pricing from the AWS Pricing API will be used in a future update.

Operational Impact

  • In-place upgrade : for compatible Redis versions, migration can be done with minimal downtime via the AWS Console or CLI.

  • ✅ API-compatible : all Redis commands up to version 7.2 work identically on Valkey — no application code changes required.

  • ⚠️ Redis modules (RedisSearch, RedisJSON, RedisBloom, etc.) are not available on Valkey — verify that none are in use before migrating.

  • ⚠️ Reserved Instances : verify that an existing Redis RI applies to Valkey before proceeding.

References

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