database connection_error ai_generated true

redis.exceptions.ConnectionError: Error 111 connecting to localhost:6379. Connection refused.

ID: database/redis-connection-refused

Also available as: JSON · Markdown
93%Fix Rate
95%Confidence
72Evidence
2023-01-01First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
7 active — — —

Root Cause

Redis server is not running or not listening on the expected host/port. Commonly caused by the redis-server process not being started, bind address misconfiguration, or protected-mode blocking connections from non-loopback addresses.

generic

Workarounds

  1. 94% success Start the Redis server and verify it is listening 
    Run: sudo systemctl start redis-server (or redis). Verify: redis-cli ping (should respond PONG). Check binding: redis-cli CONFIG GET bind. If connecting remotely, ensure redis.conf has 'bind 0.0.0.0' or the specific interface IP, and 'protected-mode no' (or set a password).
  2. 88% success Check and fix protected-mode and firewall rules 
    Redis 7 enables protected-mode by default, which rejects non-loopback connections when no password is set. Either set a password in redis.conf: requirepass yourpassword, or bind to specific IPs. Check firewall: sudo ufw allow 6379.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Changing Redis client library configuration (timeouts, retry settings) when the server is not running 95% fail

    Client-side configuration changes cannot make a connection to a server that is not listening. The error is at the TCP level; no amount of client tuning can establish a connection to a closed port.

  2. Reinstalling Redis client packages to fix connection refused 95% fail

    The client library correctly reports that the server is unreachable. The issue is server-side; reinstalling the client package has no effect on server availability.

Error Chain

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Frequently confused with: