The Reasons Behind AWS, Google, and Oracle Supporting the Valkey Redis Fork
Redis, a popular in-memory data store, recently underwent a significant change in its licensing, leading to the creation of a fork called Valkey. This fork is now backed by major tech giants like AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, Ericsson, and Snap. The Linux Foundation announced that it will host Valkey, marking a rare occasion where AWS and Google Cloud support an open-source fork together.
The Need for a Fork
The decision to create Valkey came after Redis Labs, the company behind Redis, switched its licensing from the permissive 3-clause BSD license to the more restrictive Server Side Public License (SSPL). This new license requires commercial agreements to offer Redis-as-a-service, making it incompatible with the standard definition of “open source.” Redis Labs CEO Rowan Trollope predicted that Amazon might sponsor a fork in response to this change.
A Brief History of Redis
Redis was founded in 2009 by Salvatore Sanfilippo under the BSD license. Over time, Redis gained popularity and became a core component of many commercial and open-source deployments. However, licensing disputes arose when Garantia, a major Redis service provider, rebranded to RedisDB and later Redis Labs. In 2021, Redis Labs changed its name to Redis.
Redis Modules and Licensing Changes
In 2015, Sanfilippo joined Redis Labs and transferred his intellectual property to the company. Redis also changed the licensing of its Redis Modules, which include visualization tools and client SDKs. Initially, Redis used the Apache License with the Commons Clause, restricting others from selling and hosting these modules. However, the license for open-source Redis remained BSD until the recent change.
The Impact on Cloud Vendors
Redis Labs’ licensing change allowed major cloud vendors to profit from the open-source version while requiring commercial agreements for Redis-as-a-service. Microsoft was the only cloud vendor to reach an agreement with Redis. However, AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, Ericsson, and Snap quickly rallied behind Valkey, demonstrating their support for the fork.
The Birth of Valkey
Valkey was initiated by Madelyn Olson, a longtime Redis maintainer at AWS. When the news broke about Redis Labs’ license change, many Redis maintainers decided to move on. Olson started Valkey as a fork and managed to keep the old group together. The Valkey community includes maintainers from Redis, Olson herself, Alibaba’s Zhao Zhao, and a group of committers.
AWS’s Perspective
David Nally, AWS’s director for open-source strategy and marketing, acknowledged that Redis had the right to change its license but expressed disappointment in the decision. AWS considered various options, including buying a license from Redis. However, they ultimately decided to invest in Valkey and ensure its success while maintaining a partnership with Redis.
The Linux Foundation’s Role
The Linux Foundation played a crucial role in supporting Valkey. During the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s KubeCon conference in Paris, AWS’s Nally met with Jim Zemlin, the executive director of the Linux Foundation. Zemlin offered the Linux Foundation as a potential home for Valkey, leading to further discussions between the Valkey maintainers and the foundation.
The Future of Valkey
The Valkey team is currently focused on releasing a compatibility version that allows current Redis users to transition smoothly. They are also working on improving shared clustering systems and multi-threaded performance. However, as Redis continues to invest in using flash storage in addition to RAM, Valkey may not remain a drop-in replacement for Redis in the long run.
Excitement Surrounding Valkey
Madelyn Olson expressed excitement about the future of Valkey and its potential for technological advancements. While Valkey aims to avoid breaking existing systems, there is a strong interest in updating technologies and improving performance. The changing of maintainership has led to a renewed focus on innovation and pushing the boundaries of what Valkey can achieve.
In conclusion, the support from major tech giants for the Valkey Redis fork highlights the significance of Redis as an in-memory data store. The licensing change by Redis Labs triggered this response, leading to the creation of Valkey. Under the Linux Foundation’s umbrella, Valkey aims to provide compatibility and innovative enhancements while maintaining a strong partnership with Redis. The future of Valkey looks promising, with a focus on speed, performance, and expanding its capabilities beyond in-memory storage.