Creating a Consolidated Redis Enterprise Database (REDB) YAML in Kubernetes – Redis Knowledge Base

Creating a Consolidated Redis Enterprise Database (REDB) YAML in Kubernetes often requires hunting across multiple pages for options. Use this consolidated manifest as a production-oriented starting point. It includes annotations, links to authoritative docs, and guidance for sizing, durability, and connectivity. Covered here: Prerequisites, Step-by-Step Instructions, Troubleshooting, and Reference links.

Prerequisites

A running Redis Enterprise Cluster (REC) in Kubernetes.
Redis Enterprise Operator installed and healthy.
A Kubernetes namespace for Redis workloads.
Required secrets prepared:
- Database password secret named in databaseSecretName with key password.
- TLS certificates if you plan to enable tlsMode.
- Cloud storage credentials for backups (AWS S3 shown below).

Key YAML Fields for Quick Reference

Field	Purpose	Typical Values	Notes
version	Redis database version	`"7.2.x"`	Update as needed; must be supported by your REC.
memorySize	Total DB capacity	e.g., `"500GB"`	Include dataset, replicas, overhead, headroom.
shardCount	Horizontal scale units	e.g., `5`	Size for throughput and growth; balance against client parallelism.
replication	High availability	`true` or `false`	Leave `true` for HA unless you have a single-AZ test case.
persistence	Durability policy	`disabled`, `aofEverySecond`, `aofAlways`, `snapshotEvery1Hour`, `snapshotEvery6Hour`, `snapshotEvery12Hour`	`aofEverySecond` is a common default.
evictionPolicy	Memory safety behavior	`volatile-lru`, `noeviction`, etc.	Choose per workload; see eviction guidance.
tlsMode	Transport encryption	`enabled` or `disabled`	When enabled, set `tlsSecret`.
backup.s3.*	Off-cluster backup target	`awsSecretName`, `bucketName`, `subdir`	Ensure IAM permissions; see API spec.
isRof, rofRamSize	Auto-tiering (flash)	`isRof: true`, `rofRamSize: "50GB"`	`rofRamSize` must be ≥ 10% of `memorySize`.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Start with this consolidated manifest. It embeds field notes and links to authoritative docs.

# Full REDB API reference: https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/kubernetes/reference/api/redis_enterprise_database_api/
apiVersion: app.redislabs.com/v1alpha1
kind: RedisEnterpriseDatabase
metadata: # Additional metadata
  name: <your-db-name>
  namespace: <your-namespace>
spec:
  type: redis
  version: "7.22"                      # Modify to desired version
  defaultUser: true
  databaseSecretName: <your-secret>    # Secret must contain key "password"
  resp3: true
  # If the REDB is in a different namespace from the REC, specify the cluster:
  redisEnterpriseCluster:
    name: <your-rec-name>

  # --- Auto-Tiering (optional) ---
  # isRof: true                         # Enable auto-tiering
  # rofRamSize: "50GB"                  # RAM portion; must be >= 10% of memorySize
  # See: https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/kubernetes/re-clusters/auto-tiering/#create-a-redis-enterprise-database

  # --- Capacity & layout ---
  memorySize: "500GB"                   # Size for dataset + replicas + headroom
  shardCount: 5
  replication: true
  # rackAware: true

  # --- Persistence & durability ---
  # Options: disabled | aofEverySecond | aofAlways | snapshotEvery1Hour | snapshotEvery6Hour | snapshotEvery12Hour
  persistence: "aofEverySecond"

  # --- Eviction & safety ---
  evictionPolicy: "volatile-lru"        # Options & guidance: https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/rs/databases/memory-performance/eviction-policy/

  # --- Backups ---
  # Backup spec options: https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/kubernetes/reference/api/redis_enterprise_database_api/#specbackup
  backup:
    s3:
      awsSecretName: <your-aws-secret>
      bucketName: <your-bucket>
      subdir: <your-path>

  # --- Connectivity / TLS ---
  # tlsMode: "enabled"
  # tlsSecret: <your-tls-secret>

  # --- Database metadata ---
  # databaseName: "app-prod"
  # labels:
  #   workload: "app-prod"
  #   env: "prod"

Customize required placeholders. Replace <your-db-name>, <your-namespace>, <your-secret>, <your-rec-name>, and S3 values. Adjust memorySize, shardCount, and persistence to meet SLOs.

Apply the manifest.

kubectl apply -f redis-enterprise-database.yaml

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Action
Database settings “revert” after creation	Parameter not defined in the manifest	Declare the field in the REDB spec. See the REDB API reference link in the manifest.
Authentication failures from clients	Missing or malformed `databaseSecretName`	Ensure the secret exists and includes key `password`. Recreate the secret if needed.
Backup jobs fail or never start	Incorrect `awsSecretName`, `bucketName`, or missing IAM permission	Validate the AWS secret, test IAM access to the bucket, confirm the `subdir` path. See Backup options link in the manifest.
TLS not active	`tlsMode` not set or `tlsSecret` missing	Set `tlsMode: "enabled"` and point `tlsSecret` to a valid secret.
Performance below expectations	Undersized `memorySize` or low `shardCount`	Increase `shardCount` for throughput scaling and revisit sizing for dataset plus headroom.
Keys evicted unexpectedly	Eviction policy doesn’t match workload	Review eviction guidance and choose a policy appropriate for your data model.

Reference links

Related to

Prerequisites

Key YAML Fields for Quick Reference

Step-by-Step Instructions

Troubleshooting

Reference links

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