Redis Queue in Laravel — Setup, Configuration & Example

Redis is a fast in-memory data store that integrates perfectly with Laravel queues. Using Redis as your queue driver makes job processing faster and more scalable compared to database queues.

1. Install Predis for Laravel

Laravel supports two Redis clients — phpredis (extension) and predis (package). We’ll use predis since it’s easier to install and works without PHP extensions.

composer require predis/predis
    

2. Configure Redis in Laravel

Open your .env file and set the following values:

REDIS_CLIENT=predis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PASSWORD=null
REDIS_PORT=6379
    

Now update your config/database.php file to use the environment variable:

'client' => env('REDIS_CLIENT', 'predis'),
    

Also add the Redis alias in config/app.php under aliases:

'Redis' => Illuminate\Support\Facades\Redis::class,
    

3. Configure Queue Connection

Laravel allows multiple queue drivers — database, Redis, SQS, Beanstalk, etc. To use Redis, set the following in your .env:

QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis
    

Once configured, Laravel will automatically push and pull jobs from your Redis server.

4. Create a Job

Use the artisan command to create a new queued job:

php artisan make:job SendMail
    

The generated job class implements the ShouldQueue interface by default.

Example:

namespace App\Jobs;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;

class SendMail implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;

    public function handle()
    {
        \Log::info('Email sent successfully!');
    }
}
    

5. Dispatching the Job

You can now dispatch your queued job anywhere in your app — controller, service, or command:

dispatch(new SendMail());
    

When dispatched, the job will be pushed into your Redis queue.

6. Processing the Queue

Run the Laravel queue worker to start processing jobs:

php artisan queue:work
    

7. Testing Redis Commands

You can still interact with Redis directly using Laravel’s Redis facade:

Redis::set('foo', 'bar');
Redis::get('foo');
    

8. Verify Queue Jobs in Redis

You can open redis-cli and check your queue data:

KEYS *
LRANGE queues:default 0 -1
    

9. Advantages of Redis Queue

• ⚡ Extremely fast in-memory job processing
• 💾 Reliable persistence options
• 📊 Easy monitoring with RedisInsight or Horizon
• 📡 Great for microservices and event-driven systems

Redis Queue is an essential upgrade for any production Laravel app. It handles background jobs efficiently and scales perfectly with modern workloads.