# Install RedisVL ```json metadata { "schema_version": 2, "title": "Install RedisVL", "description": "", "categories": null, "tableOfContents": {"sections":[{"id":"install-redisvl-with-pip","title":"Install RedisVL with Pip"},{"id":"install-redisvl-from-source","title":"Install RedisVL from Source"},{"children":[{"id":"running-tests-and-linting","title":"Running Tests and Linting"},{"id":"pre-commit-hooks","title":"Pre-commit Hooks"}],"id":"development-installation","title":"Development Installation"},{"children":[{"id":"redis-cloud","title":"Redis Cloud"},{"id":"redis-8-local-development","title":"Redis 8+ (local development)"},{"id":"redis-software-self-hosted","title":"Redis Software (self-hosted)"},{"id":"redis-sentinel","title":"Redis Sentinel"}],"id":"installing-redis","title":"Installing Redis"},{"children":[{"id":"redis-cloud-and-redis-software","title":"Redis Cloud and Redis Software"}],"id":"redis-permissions-acls","title":"Redis permissions (ACLs)"}]} , "codeExamples": [] } ``` There are a few ways to install RedisVL. The easiest way is to use pip. ## Install RedisVL with Pip Install `redisvl` into your Python (>=3.10) environment using `pip`: ```bash $ pip install -U redisvl ``` RedisVL comes with a few dependencies that are automatically installed, however, several optional dependencies can be installed separately based on your needs: ```bash # Vectorizer providers $ pip install redisvl[openai] # OpenAI embeddings $ pip install redisvl[cohere] # Cohere embeddings and reranking $ pip install redisvl[mistralai] # Mistral AI embeddings $ pip install redisvl[voyageai] # Voyage AI embeddings and reranking $ pip install redisvl[sentence-transformers] # HuggingFace local embeddings $ pip install redisvl[google-genai] # Google embeddings (Vertex AI + Gemini API) $ pip install redisvl[vertexai] # Google Vertex AI embeddings (legacy; deprecated, multimodal only) $ pip install redisvl[bedrock] # AWS Bedrock embeddings # Other optional features $ pip install redisvl[mcp] # RedisVL MCP server support (Python 3.10+) $ pip install redisvl[langcache] # LangCache managed service integration $ pip install redisvl[sql-redis] # SQL query support ``` If you use ZSH, remember to escape the brackets: ```bash $ pip install redisvl\[openai\] ``` You can install multiple optional dependencies at once: ```bash $ pip install redisvl[mcp,openai,cohere,sentence-transformers] ``` To install **all** optional dependencies at once: ```bash $ pip install redisvl[all] ``` ## Install RedisVL from Source To install RedisVL from source, clone the repository and install the package using `pip`: ```bash $ git clone https://github.com/redis/redis-vl-python.git && cd redis-vl-python $ pip install . # or for an editable installation (for developers of RedisVL) $ pip install -e . ``` ## Development Installation For contributors who want to develop RedisVL, we recommend using [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) for dependency management: ```bash # Clone the repository $ git clone https://github.com/redis/redis-vl-python.git && cd redis-vl-python # Install uv if you don't have it $ pip install uv # Install all dependencies (including dev and docs) $ uv sync # Or use make $ make install ``` This installs the package in editable mode along with all development dependencies (testing, linting, type checking) and documentation dependencies. ### Running Tests and Linting ```bash # Run tests (no external APIs required) $ make test # Run all tests (includes API-dependent tests) $ make test-all # Format code $ make format # Run type checking $ make check-types # Run full check (lint + test) $ make check ``` ### Pre-commit Hooks We use pre-commit hooks to ensure code quality. Install them with: ```bash $ pre-commit install ``` Run hooks manually on all files: ```bash $ pre-commit run --all-files ``` ## Installing Redis RedisVL requires Redis with [Redis Search](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/ai/search-and-query/) available. There are several options: 1. [Redis Cloud](https://redis.io/cloud), a fully managed cloud offering with a free tier 2. [Redis 8+ (Docker)](https://redis.io/downloads/), for local development and testing 3. [Redis Software](https://redis.io/software/), a commercial self-hosted option ### Redis Cloud Redis Cloud is the easiest way to get started with RedisVL. You can sign up for a free account [here](https://redis.io/cloud). Make sure to have `Redis Search` enabled when creating your database. ### Redis 8+ (local development) For local development and testing, we recommend running Redis 8+ in a Docker container: ```bash docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:8.4 ``` Redis 8 includes Redis Search and built-in vector search capabilities. ### Redis Software (self-hosted) Redis Software is a commercial offering that can be self-hosted. You can download the latest version [here](https://redis.io/downloads/). If you are considering a self-hosted Redis Software deployment on Kubernetes, there is the [Redis Software Operator](https://docs.redis.com/latest/kubernetes/) for Kubernetes. This will allow you to easily deploy and manage a Redis Software cluster on Kubernetes. ### Redis Sentinel For high availability deployments, RedisVL supports connecting to Redis through Sentinel. Use the `redis+sentinel://` URL scheme to connect. Both sync and async connections are fully supported. ```python from redisvl.index import SearchIndex, AsyncSearchIndex # Sync connection via Sentinel # Format: redis+sentinel://[username:password@]host1:port1,host2:port2/service_name[/db] index = SearchIndex.from_yaml( "schema.yaml", redis_url="redis+sentinel://sentinel1:26379,sentinel2:26379/mymaster" ) # Async connection via Sentinel async_index = AsyncSearchIndex.from_yaml( "schema.yaml", redis_url="redis+sentinel://sentinel1:26379,sentinel2:26379/mymaster" ) # With authentication and database selection index = SearchIndex.from_yaml( "schema.yaml", redis_url="redis+sentinel://user:pass@sentinel1:26379,sentinel2:26379/mymaster/0" ) ``` The Sentinel URL format supports: - Multiple sentinel hosts (comma-separated) - Optional authentication (username:password) - Service name (defaults to `mymaster` if not specified) - Optional database number (defaults to 0) - Both sync (`SearchIndex`) and async (`AsyncSearchIndex`) connections ## Redis permissions (ACLs) RedisVL works through Redis Search commands, so a connecting credential needs the `@search` ACL category, or the individual `FT.*` commands. Reading an index additionally requires key permissions covering its prefix: the [ACL documentation](https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/oss_and_stack/management/security/acl/#command-categories) describes this rule for creating, modifying, and reading an index, and in practice `FT.INFO`, `FT.SEARCH`, and `FT.AGGREGATE` are denied when the index prefix falls outside the allowed key patterns. `FT.CREATE` is not checked this way, so a credential can create an index it is then unable to read. One command needs more than `@search`. Redis tags `FT._LIST` as `@admin` as well as `@search` and `@slow`, and ACL rules are applied left to right — so a rule that grants search access and then takes back administrative commands, such as `+@search -@admin` or `+@all -@admin`, denies it: ```text User has no permissions to run the 'FT._LIST' command ``` Note that `FT._LIST` does not *require* `@admin`: granting `+@search` on its own permits it. Only rules that subtract `@admin` after granting search are affected. To keep such a policy and still enumerate indexes, grant the command back explicitly with `+ft._list`. | Operation | Redis command | Permitted by `+@all -@admin` | |-----------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------| | `index.create()`, `index.exists()` | `FT.CREATE`, `FT.INFO` | Yes | | `index.query()`, `index.search()`, `index.aggregate()` | `FT.SEARCH`, `FT.AGGREGATE` | Yes | | `index.info()`, `rvl index info`, `rvl stats` | `FT.INFO` | Yes | | `index.load()` | `HSET` or `JSON.SET` (needs `@write` and key access) | Yes | | `index.delete()`, `rvl index delete`, `rvl index destroy` | `FT.DROPINDEX` | Yes | | Enumerating indexes (see below) | `FT._LIST` | No | `SemanticCache`, `SemanticMessageHistory`, `MessageHistory`, and `SemanticRouter` each call `index.create()` while being constructed, so they are covered by the first row. Index enumeration is the only thing an `-@admin` rule breaks. It is reached by `SearchIndex.listall()` and `AsyncSearchIndex.listall()`, by `rvl index listall`, and by the migration entry points that discover indexes for you: `rvl migrate helper`, `rvl migrate wizard` when no `-i/--index` is given, and `rvl migrate batch-plan --pattern`. Other categories gate different operations. `FT.DROPINDEX` is tagged `@dangerous` and `@write` as well as `@search`, so a policy that subtracts `@dangerous` denies `index.delete()`, `rvl index delete`, and `rvl index destroy`. Outside of Redis Search, RedisVL identifies itself on connect with `CLIENT SETINFO` and falls back to `ECHO`. A credential permitted to run neither currently fails when the connection is created, before any index operation. ### Redis Cloud and Redis Software Both manage ACLs through their own control plane rather than the `ACL SETUSER` command, so permissions are attached to roles and users instead of being set on a connection. - **Redis Cloud** provides three predefined ACL rules that cannot be edited — Full-Access, Read-Write ("read and write commands and excludes dangerous commands"), and Read-Only — which you assign to a data access role. See [Configure permissions with Redis ACLs](https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/rc/security/access-control/data-access-control/configure-acls/). Custom rules use the same syntax as above. - **Redis Software** ships one predefined ACL, Full Access, and you define others in the Cluster Manager UI or with a [`POST /v1/redis_acls`](https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/create-db-roles/) request. It [does not support every `ACL` command](https://redis.io/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/redis-acl-overview/#acl-command-support), nor nested selectors, nor `(` and `)` in key patterns. Because the predefined rules’ exact command sets are not published, confirm a credential against the database rather than inferring what its policy name implies. Redis Software’s documentation uses `+@read +FT.INFO +FT.SEARCH` as an example rule, which is a good illustration: it permits querying and `index.exists()`, but not `index.create()` or index enumeration. Grant `FT.CREATE` explicitly when the application creates its own index, which `SemanticCache`, `SemanticMessageHistory`, `MessageHistory`, and `SemanticRouter` all do.