KeyDB
The earlier fork — multithreaded Redis, BSD, now Snap-owned.
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sovereigntyKeyDB forked Redis before any of this to add multithreading, and was acquired by Snap in 2022. It remains BSD-3-Clause with around 12.5k stars and full Redis protocol compatibility, including active replication where multiple nodes accept writes. It is the option with the longest track record of the forks here. The honest caveat is momentum: development has slowed considerably since the acquisition, and Valkey has absorbed most of the community energy that KeyDB once held.
OPEN SOURCEBSD-3-ClauseSELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
LicenseBSD-3-Clause
PricingFree and open source.
Open sourceYes
Self-hostableYes
Local-first dataYes
What it does well
- +BSD-3-Clause with a longer production history than Valkey
- +Multithreaded well before Redis addressed it
- +Active-active replication — multiple writable nodes
- +Full Redis protocol compatibility
Where it falls short
- −Development pace has slowed markedly since Snap acquired it
- −Community energy has largely moved to Valkey
- −Corporate owner rather than foundation governance
- −Fewer managed hosting options
KeyDB as an alternative to
Where KeyDB shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
KeyDB head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.