Docker Deployment

Run Valkey Admin using Docker or Docker Compose for a zero-install web deployment.

Run the web server in a container

Running the web server directly on a host (bare metal or a VM, with node apps/server/dist/index.js and no container) is not supported. The server spawns one metrics collector per node for each connected Valkey identity. If the server crashes outside a container, those collectors keep running and cannot register with a new server. When a container stops, the runtime stops all its processes. The desktop app is not affected.

Docker Images

Valkey Admin images are published to the following registries:

Registry	Image
GitHub Container Registry	ghcr.io/valkey-io/valkey-admin
Docker Hub	valkey/valkey-admin
Amazon ECR Public Gallery	public.ecr.aws/valkey/valkey-admin

docker pull valkey/valkey-admin:latest

Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml:

services:
  valkey-admin:
    image: valkey/valkey-admin:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      DEPLOYMENT_MODE: Web
    restart: unless-stopped

Start the service:

docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:8080 and add a connection to your Valkey instance through the UI.

Publishing 8080 exposes an unauthenticated service

Valkey Admin Web mode has no authentication — anyone who can reach the published port can use it to access your Valkey instances. -p 8080:8080 (and the compose ports: "8080:8080") publishes it on all host interfaces.

• Keep it local: bind the published port to loopback with -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 (or ports: "127.0.0.1:8080:8080").
• Only publish on a routable interface if you have placed an authenticating proxy in front of it or otherwise restricted access. Treat external exposure as a deliberate decision.
• If users open the UI through a DNS name instead of localhost or an IP address, set VALKEY_ADMIN_ALLOWED_WS_ORIGINS to that origin. Without it the server refuses the WebSocket with 403, because a DNS-name Host with no allowlist is what a DNS rebinding attack looks like. See VALKEY_ADMIN_ALLOWED_WS_ORIGINS.

With Pre-configured Connection

To auto-start metrics collection on startup, provide connection details as environment variables. This works for both cluster and standalone Valkey instances — Valkey Admin detects the topology automatically:

services:
  valkey-admin:
    image: valkey/valkey-admin:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      DEPLOYMENT_MODE: Web
      VALKEY_HOST: my-valkey-host.example.com
      VALKEY_PORT: 6379
      VALKEY_TLS: "true"
      VALKEY_AUTH_TYPE: password
      VALKEY_USERNAME: myuser
      VALKEY_PASSWORD: mypassword
    restart: unless-stopped

For cluster connections, Valkey Admin discovers all primary nodes and spawns metrics servers for each. For standalone connections, a single metrics server is started for that node.

Environment Variable Reference

Variable	Default	Description
KEY_VALUE_SIZE_LIMIT_BYTES	2048	Maximum value size (bytes) the Key Browser will render. Values larger than this show a size warning instead of their contents.

See the Server Configuration page for all available environment variables.

Custom Metrics Configuration

To override the default metrics collection and retention settings, mount a custom config.yml:

services:
  valkey-admin:
    image: valkey/valkey-admin:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      DEPLOYMENT_MODE: Web
      CONFIG_PATH: /app/custom-config.yml
    volumes:
      - ./my-config.yml:/app/custom-config.yml:ro
    restart: unless-stopped

See the Metrics Configuration page for available options.

Resource Sizing

In Docker (Web) mode, Valkey Admin spawns a metrics server process per primary node for each Valkey identity connected to it. See Resource Sizing for formulas, recommendations, and retention guidance.

Configuration Reference

See the Configuration section for all available environment variables.

Next Steps

• Kubernetes deployment for large clusters
• AWS ElastiCache deployment for production on AWS