Choosing a Subscription and Creating Your First Database

Redis Cloud is a fully managed database-as-a-service for Redis and Redis Stack. It supports multiple subscription tiers to accommodate use cases from small experiments to global-scale deployments. This article walks you through Choosing the Right Subscription Plan, Selecting a Region and Cloud Provider, Creating Your First Database, and understanding Subscription-Specific Behavior during onboarding. It also covers Troubleshooting Common Issues, with key resource links embedded directly in relevant sections.

Choosing the Right Subscription Plan

To select a Redis Cloud subscription, start by aligning your project requirements—such as database size, throughput, availability, and compliance—with the features of each tier.

• Redis Cloud Essentials (Free/Paid)
  Shared infrastructure. One database per subscription (since Jan 2024).
  • Free: 30MB memory, 30 connections
  • Paid: 250MB–12GB memory, up to 10,000 connections
  • Adds TLS, backups, single-zone high availability
    Ideal for development, prototyping, and small production apps.
• Redis Cloud Flex
  Supports 1–100GB single-DB workloads, with RAM + SSD (auto-tiering).
  • AWS-only (currently)
  • Moderate throughput
  • Best for large datasets that don’t need to be fully in RAM
• Redis Cloud Pro
  Enterprise-grade: multi-DB, high throughput, clustering, Active-Active, VPC peering, and compliance.
  • Dedicated VPC
  • BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) support for annual commits
  • Starts at $200/month

To compare all features and limits across plans, see the Redis Cloud Subscriptions documentation.

Selecting a Cloud Provider and Region

Each subscription is bound to a single region and cloud provider. You’ll be asked to select these when creating the subscription:

• Cloud Providers: AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure
• Regions: Pick one closest to your application to minimize latency

Once chosen, region and cloud provider are fixed for that subscription. All databases in the subscription will use that location.

Region vs. Availability Zone Visibility

In the Redis Cloud Console, you will see the region for your subscription or database. Availability zone details may also be shown in some cases, especially for Pro subscriptions when availability zones were selected during creation. However, the exact availability zone or zone ID is not always exposed after provisioning.

If you need to confirm availability zone details, first identify what you’re trying to check:

To provision your first database:

1. Log in to Redis Cloud
   Visit the Redis Cloud Console and sign in, or create an account.
2. Create a New Subscription (Essentials example)
   • Click New Subscription
   • Select Essentials and your cloud region
   • Name your subscription
   • Choose a pricing tier (free or paid)
   • For paid plans, add a credit card or use an existing payment method
   • Select High Availability mode (None or Single-Zone)
   • Click Create Subscription
3. Create a Database
   • After the subscription is active, click Create Database
   • Name the database and select Redis or Redis Stack
   • Choose your memory size, TLS setting, and data persistence (Snapshots or AOF)
   • Confirm and create
   • Wait for the status to show Active (green checkmark)

For step-by-step instructions using the REST API, see Manage Redis Cloud Subscriptions via API.

Behavioral Differences by Subscription Tier

To dive deeper into Essentials capabilities and usage limits, visit the Essentials Database Creation Guide.

Troubleshooting Common Onboarding Issues

• Only One Essentials DB Allowed
  As of Jan 2024, new Essentials subscriptions support only one database. Create a second subscription or upgrade to Pro to add more.
• Blocked Plan Upgrade or Downgrade
  Make sure your subscription has no unpaid invoices and that your database usage fits within the target tier. Payment configuration is required for changes.
• Flex Plan Not Available
  Redis Flex is currently available only in AWS regions. If Flex doesn’t show up, verify your selected cloud provider.
• Redis 7.0 Preview Problems
  Preview support is region-dependent. Enable Redis 7.0 only if your workload requires it—and only in supported regions.
• API Issues
  To automate subscription and DB setup, use the Redis Cloud REST API. Use GET /v1/fixed/plans to fetch plan IDs.
• Stuck on Database Creation
  Confirm that your subscription is active and not at capacity. Check your Redis Cloud console for status and retry if needed.

Next Steps After Database Creation

Once your database shows “Active”:

• View the Database Details page
• Copy endpoint and credentials
• Connect using redis-cli, Redis Insight, or a Redis client SDK
• Use this Redis Cloud monitoring guide to track metrics, optimize memory, and configure alerts

For general guidance on best practices, see Getting Started with Redis Cloud.

Onboarding Progress

Previous: Creating a Redis Cloud Account
Next: Connecting to Your Redis Cloud Database

You can return to the Redis Cloud Onboarding Overview at any time to track your progress or revisit earlier steps.