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redis-cli is the command line interface that ships with the official Redis distribution. Because Upstash speaks the native Redis protocol over TCP, you can use redis-cli to connect to your Upstash database and run any Redis command directly from your terminal. Upstash exposes your database over both TCP and HTTP. redis-cli and other traditional clients use the TCP (RESP) protocol, while the HTTP/REST API and @upstash/redis SDK are built for serverless environments. This page covers the TCP path with redis-cli.

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Install redis-cli

redis-cli is included in the official Redis distribution. If you don’t have Redis installed, follow the Redis installation guide.

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Get your connection details

Open your database in the Upstash Console and go to the Details tab. You will need the Endpoint, Port, and the Password (token) of your database.
The Details tab has a ready-to-use redis-cli command with your endpoint, port, and password already filled in. You can copy it and paste it straight into your terminal.

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Connect

Upstash enables TLS on every database, so you must pass the --tls flag when connecting with redis-cli: 
> redis-cli --tls -a PASSWORD -h ENDPOINT -p PORT
ENDPOINT:PORT> set counter 0
OK
ENDPOINT:PORT> get counter
"0"
ENDPOINT:PORT> incr counter
(int) 1
ENDPOINT:PORT> incr counter
(int) 2
You can also connect using a single rediss:// connection string (note the double s, which signals TLS): 
> redis-cli -u rediss://default:PASSWORD@ENDPOINT:PORT
TLS is enabled by default for all Upstash Redis databases and cannot be disabled. If you omit --tls (or use redis:// instead of rediss://), the connection will fail.

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TCP or HTTP?

Upstash serves the same database over two protocols, so you can pick whichever fits your environment:
  • TCP (RESP) — Use redis-cli and standard Redis clients such as ioredis, redis-py, or jedis. This is the right choice for local development, scripting, and long-running servers.
  • HTTP/REST — Use the @upstash/redis SDK or the REST API. This is the right choice for serverless platforms like Vercel and Cloudflare Workers, where TCP-based clients can run into connection limits.
For connecting via the official SDKs and other language clients, see Connect Your Client.