Apache Kvrocks
Apache Kvrocks is a distributed key-value NoSQL database built on RocksDB and compatible with the Redis protocol.
What Apache Kvrocks is
Apache Kvrocks is a distributed key-value NoSQL database built on RocksDB and compatible with the Redis protocol. It stores data on SSD and is intended to reduce memory costs while increasing capacity compared with Redis. Applications can connect through Redis clients, including Redis cluster clients for Kvrocks clusters. The command reference identifies Redis-compatible commands and marks others unsupported or unstable, while supported protocols include RESP2 and RESP3. Kvrocks provides disk persistence, TTL support, asynchronous replication, backups, and clustering. Replication uses partial synchronization when possible and full synchronization from RocksDB backup files otherwise. Namespaces isolate data and can use separate passwords, but they do not apply in cluster mode. Redis Sentinel is listed for failover. Docker deployment or building from source are documented, with Redis CLI using port 6666. The project is free, open source, and licensed under Apache License 2.0.
Good
- Redis client and cluster-client compatibility
- SSD storage for persistent data
- Asynchronous replication and backup options
- Docker or source deployment
- Apache License 2.0 open source
Watch out
- Cluster controller is still under development
- Operators manage cluster topology themselves
- Disk-based key migration can take time
- Some Redis commands are unsupported or unstable
Who it suits
Kvrocks suits developers and operators needing a self-hosted, Redis-compatible database with disk persistence, TTLs, replication, and clustering. It is aimed at teams comfortable managing infrastructure and cluster topology.
Verdict
Apache Kvrocks combines Redis-compatible access with RocksDB-backed disk storage, replication, backups, and TTLs. Its separate controller requirement and operator-managed topology matter when planning clustered deployments.
The facts
Each one read from Apache Kvrocks's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Authentication
- The supported commands include AUTH for password authentication, and namespaces can have separate tokens.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Backups
- Kvrocks supports full backups with BGSAVE and incremental backups by copying files that are new since the previous backup.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Cluster
- Kvrocks cluster topology, failure detection, and failover require a separate controller, which the documentation says is under development.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The getting-started guide offers Docker deployment or building a binary from source, and shows Redis CLI connecting on port 6666.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- Official releases are provided as source artifacts, and each released version has a Docker image with prebuilt amd64 and arm64 binaries.checked 9 Oct 2026
- High availability
- The project lists Redis Sentinel support for failover when a master or replica fails.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project lists kvrocks-controller for cluster management, kvrocks_exporter for monitoring metrics, RedisShake for migration from Redis, and kvrocks2redis for migration to Redis.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- Apache Kvrocks is licensed under Apache License Version 2.0.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Namespaces
- Namespaces isolate user data and each namespace has its own password; namespace support has no effect when cluster mode is enabled.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Operational limit
- The cluster guide says operators need to manage cluster topology themselves and notes that disk-based key migration can take time.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Product
- Apache Kvrocks is a distributed key-value NoSQL database that uses RocksDB as its storage engine and is compatible with the Redis protocol.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Kvrocks says it aims to reduce memory cost and increase capacity compared with Redis.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Redis clients
- Users can access Kvrocks through Redis clients, and Redis cluster clients can access its cluster.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Redis compatibility
- The supported-command reference lists Redis-compatible commands and identifies commands that are unsupported or unstable.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Replication
- Kvrocks supports asynchronous replication using a binlog approach described as similar to MySQL.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project’s 2023 review lists replication with TLS among its progress that year.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Kvrocks stores data on SSD, which the project describes as a way to reduce storage costs and increase capacity compared with Redis.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project links users to its Zulip community, issue tracker, and mailing list.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2019checked 28 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- The project lists Linux and macOS support, with x86_64, ARM, and RISC-V architectures.checked 9 Oct 2026
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