---
title: "Manage Valkey Database Clusters | Hostman Docs"
description: "Learn how to manage Valkey databases in Hostman: create and manage users, configure privileges, tune parameters, and connect to your cluster."
---

> For the complete documentation index for AI agents, see [llms.txt](https://hostman.com/llms.txt).

Valkey is a high-performance, non-relational key-value database. It stores data in memory, which enables very fast request processing. 

Unlike relational database management systems, Valkey doesn't have traditional databases and tables—data is organized into keyspaces, and values can take different structures and types, including strings, lists, sets, and hash tables.

Valkey is an open-source fork of Redis. It maintains compatibility with the Redis protocol, commands, and client libraries, so you can use familiar tools, SDKs, and drivers to connect to a cluster. In most cases, applications that worked with Redis can work with Valkey without any code changes.

Valkey is commonly used for:

-   Data caching
-   Session storage
-   Queue management
-   Messaging between services
-   Real-time data processing

When [creating a cluster](https://hostman.com/docs/dbaas/create-database/), you can choose a Valkey version: 7, 8.1, or 9.1.

## Users and Privileges

In your Hostman dashboard, you can manage Valkey users and their privileges.

### Creating Users

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Open the **Users** tab and click **Add**.
3.  Set the username and password:
    -   Username: 3–64 characters. Letters, numbers, and special characters are allowed.
    -   Password: 8–30 characters. Letters, numbers, and special characters are allowed.
4.  (Optional) Configure the user’s privileges. You can also leave the default parameters and change them later at any time.
5.  Click **Create**.

### Modifying Privileges

To update the privileges of an existing user:

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Open the **Users** tab.
3.  Click the three dots next to the user.
4.  Select **Privileges**.
5.  Choose the required privileges. You can grant access to a specific database or grant the same privileges for all databases by enabling Identical for all databases in the top right.

### Available Privileges

| **Privilege** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| `READ` | Read data from the database. |
| `WRITE` | Write and modify data. |
| `ADMIN` | Run administrative commands (e.g., manage configuration, flush database). |
| `BITMAP` | Work with bit arrays. |
| `BLOCKING` | Use blocking commands (e.g., `BLPOP`, `BRPOP`). |
| `CONNECTION` | Manage connections and connection settings. |
| `DANGEROUS` | Access potentially dangerous commands (e.g., `FLUSHALL`, `MIGRATE`). |
| `GEO` | Work with geospatial data (e.g., `GEOADD`, `GEORADIUS`). |
| `HASH` | Work with hash tables. |
| `HYPERLOGLOG` | Work with the `HyperLogLog` data type. |
| `FAST` | Use low-latency commands. |
| `KEYSPACE` | Get key lists and key metadata. |
| `LIST` | Work with lists. |
| `PUBSUB` | Use the publish/subscribe mechanism (`PUBLISH`, `SUBSCRIBE`). |
| `SCRIPTING` | Execute Lua scripts in Valkey. |
| `SET` | Work with sets. |
| `SORTEDSET` | Work with sorted sets. |
| `SLOW` | Use commands that may take longer to execute. |
| `STREAM` | Work with data streams (`XADD`, `XREAD`). |
| `STRING` | Work with strings. |
| `TRANSACTION` | Use transactions (`MULTI`, `EXEC`). |

### Changing User Password

You can change the user password:

1.  Go to the **Database** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Users** tab.
3.  Click the three dots next to the user.
4.  Select **Change password**.
5.  Enter a new value and save changes.

## Database Parameters

You can change database settings to optimize its performance. 

By default, the database is created with the parameters that are suitable for most tasks and will ensure the performance of the selected configuration. However, if your project requires specific settings, you can change them as you wish. 

Be careful and change parameters only if you are sure of their purpose. Incorrect configuration can negatively affect the operation of the database and its performance.

### Parameters List

| **Parameter** | **Valid Values** | **Default Value** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [client-output-buffer-limit normal](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L764) | — | 0 0 0 |
| [client-output-buffer-limit pubsub](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L764) | — | 33554432 8388608 60 |
| [maxmemory-policy](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L373) | — | allkeys-lru |
| [slowlog-log-slower-than](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L648) | 0–600000000 | 10000 |
| [slowlog-max-len](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L653) | 0–4294967296 | 128 |
| [timeout](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L73) | 0–3600000000 | 0 |
| [databases](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L115) | 0–2147483647 | 16 |
| [save](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L120) | — | 900 1 |
| [appendonly](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L432) | On/Off | On |
| [appendfsync](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L479) | — | everysec |
| [tcp-keepalive](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L76) | 0–3600 | 300 |
| [notify-keyspace-events](https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/46319094dba97e1e5627ad52687d8d9dab26c070/redis.conf#L659) | — | — |

### Changing Parameters

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Configuration** tab.
3.  Click **Modify parameters** next to **Database parameters**.
4.  Adjust the parameters. To read more about each parameter, click **Open description** next to it.
5.  Click **Apply** at the bottom of the page.

### Resetting Parameters

If needed, you can restore one or all parameters to their default values.

> [!NOTE]
> Be careful: the parameters will be reset immediately, without additional confirmation.

#### Resetting a Single Parameter

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Configuration** tab.
3.  Click **Modify parameters** next to **Database parameters**.
4.  Click **Reset to default** next to the parameter you want to reset. 
5.  Click **Apply and Restart** at the bottom of the page.
6.  Confirm the action.

#### Resetting All Parameters

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Configuration** tab.
3.  Click **Modify parameters** next to **Database parameters**.
4.  Click **Restore default settings** at the bottom of the page.
5.  Click **Continue** to confirm. The cluster will be restarted.

### Importing and Exporting Parameters

Valkey parameters can be exported to a file and imported into another cluster.

#### Importing Parameters

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Configuration** tab.
3.  Click **Modify parameters** next to **Database parameters**.
4.  Click **Import / export** → **Import parameters**.
5.  Select a JSON file containing the parameters.
6.  Click **Apply**.

The parameters file must contain an object with parameter names as keys and their values as strings:

```shell
{
  "parameter_name_1": "parameter_value_1",
  "parameter_name_2": "parameter_value_2"
}
```

If a parameter doesn't exist in the Valkey version you're using, or can't be modified, it will be ignored during import.

#### Exporting Parameters

1.  Go to the **Databases** section and click on the cluster.
2.  Go to the **Configuration** tab.
3.  Click **Modify parameters** next to **Database parameters**.
4.  Click **Import / export** → **Export parameters**.

Your browser will download a JSON file containing the current parameter values.

## Connecting to the Database

To work with your Valkey cluster, install the `redis-cli` or `valkey-cli` utility. Valkey is compatible with Redis, so you can connect using either standard Redis clients and commands or Valkey tools.

### Installing redis-cli

The `redis-cli` utility is included with Redis and can be installed via package managers:

-   Ubuntu/Debian

```shell
sudo apt install redis-tools
```

-   macOS

```shell
brew install redis
```

-   Arch Linux

```shell
sudo pacman -S redis
```

-   CentOS/RHEL

```shell
sudo yum install redis
```

After installation, check the client version:

```shell
redis-cli -v
```

### Installing valkey-cli

To use `valkey-cli`, install the Valkey package. This will also install the command-line utility:

-   Ubuntu/Debian

```
sudo apt install valkey
```

-   macOS

```
brew install valkey
```

-   Arch Linux

```
sudo pacman -Syu valkey
```

-   CentOS/RHEL

```shell
sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum install valkey
```

### Connection Command

There are two ways to connect to a Valkey cluster:

-   via public IP;
-   via private IP.

You can copy the connection command from:

-   the **Dashboard** tab:
    

![C5808e03 025d 4c98 B004 9d8d5be1935a](https://content.hostman.com/assets/ca2f0bae-e2a2-4c18-b4bc-0749219c6296.png?width=1535&height=1491)

-   the **Connection** tab:
    

![5b57323e 447a 45a3 A3c1 09e1d9bd6962](https://content.hostman.com/assets/52f286b0-7911-44f5-b2bf-f8f0072eb77c.png?width=1546&height=846)

## Creating a Dump

Valkey is compatible with Redis, so you can use most existing tools from the Redis ecosystem for backup and migration.

To export Valkey data, use the `redis-dump-go` utility, available for different architectures. Download the binary for your architecture from the [official repository](https://github.com/yannh/redis-dump-go/releases).

To create a dump, run:

```sql
REDISDUMPGO_AUTH='password' ./redis-dump-go -host <cluster-ip> -port 6379 -user default > redis-dump.txt
```

Here, `REDISDUMPGO_AUTH` is the password for cluster access.

## Importing a Dump

To import data, use `redis-cli` or `valkey-cli` in `--pipe` mode, which supports loading large datasets:

```shell
redis-cli -h <cluster-ip> -p 6379 --user default --pass 'password' --pipe < redis-dump.txt
```

Or with `valkey-cli`:

```shell
valkey-cli -h <cluster-ip> -p 6379 --user default --pass 'password' --pipe < redis-dump.txt
```