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Authentication

Configure credentials for Redis Cloud, Redis Enterprise, and direct database connections.

Overview

redisctl supports three credential sources, in order of precedence:

  1. Command-line flags - Highest priority
  2. Environment variables - Good for CI/CD
  3. Profiles - Best for daily use

Credential Method Comparison

Method Security Persistence Best for
Config file (plaintext) Low Persistent Local dev
OS keyring High Persistent Production workstations
Environment variables Medium Session CI/CD, containers
Env var references in config Medium Persistent CI/CD with profiles

Environment Variables

Redis Cloud

Variable Description
REDIS_CLOUD_API_KEY API account key
REDIS_CLOUD_SECRET_KEY API secret key 
export REDIS_CLOUD_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export REDIS_CLOUD_SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key"
redisctl cloud subscription list

Redis Enterprise

Variable Description
REDIS_ENTERPRISE_URL Cluster API URL (e.g., https://cluster:9443)
REDIS_ENTERPRISE_USER Admin username
REDIS_ENTERPRISE_PASSWORD Admin password
REDIS_ENTERPRISE_INSECURE Skip TLS verification (true/false) 
export REDIS_ENTERPRISE_URL="https://cluster.example.com:9443"
export REDIS_ENTERPRISE_USER="admin@cluster.local"
export REDIS_ENTERPRISE_PASSWORD="your-password"
redisctl enterprise cluster get

Profiles

Profiles store credentials for multiple environments. Much better than juggling environment variables.

Interactive Setup

The fastest way to get started:

redisctl profile init

The wizard guides you through choosing a profile name, deployment type, and entering credentials.

Create a Profile

# Redis Cloud profile
redisctl profile set prod-cloud --type cloud \
  --api-key "$API_KEY" \
  --api-secret "$SECRET_KEY"

# Redis Enterprise profile
redisctl profile set prod-enterprise --type enterprise \
  --url "https://cluster.example.com:9443" \
  --username "admin@cluster.local" \
  --password "$PASSWORD"

# Database profile
redisctl profile set my-cache --type database \
  --host "redis-12345.cloud.redislabs.com" \
  --port 12345 \
  --password "$PASSWORD"

Use a Profile

# Specify profile per command
redisctl --profile prod-cloud cloud subscription list

# Or set a default for each profile type
redisctl profile default-cloud prod-cloud
redisctl profile default-enterprise prod-enterprise
redisctl profile default-database my-cache

# Now commands use the appropriate default
redisctl cloud subscription list  # Uses prod-cloud

List Profiles

redisctl profile list

Secure Storage

Default Storage

By default, credentials are stored in plaintext in ~/.config/redisctl/config.toml. Use secure storage for production credentials.

OS Keyring

Store credentials in your operating system's keychain:

redisctl profile set prod --type cloud \
  --api-key "$KEY" \
  --api-secret "$SECRET" \
  --use-keyring

Environment Variable References

Reference environment variables instead of storing values:

redisctl profile set prod --type cloud \
  --api-key '${REDIS_CLOUD_API_KEY}' \
  --api-secret '${REDIS_CLOUD_SECRET_KEY}'

The variables are resolved at runtime.

Configuration File

Profiles are stored in:

Platform Location
Linux/macOS ~/.config/redisctl/config.toml
Windows %APPDATA%\redis\redisctl\config.toml

Example:

default_cloud = "prod-cloud"
default_enterprise = "prod-enterprise"

[profiles.prod-cloud]
deployment_type = "cloud"
api_key = "your-api-key"
api_secret = "your-secret-key"

[profiles.prod-enterprise]
deployment_type = "enterprise"
url = "https://cluster.example.com:9443"
username = "admin@cluster.local"
password = "${PROD_PASSWORD}"

Next Steps