channels-redis
Redis-backed ASGI channel layer implementation
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. channels_redis is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard Redis integration for Django Channels. Install it if you're building real-time features in Django and need to distribute channels across multiple servers—it's low-friction and well-tested. Use RedisPubSubChannelLayer only if you understand its Beta status and can tolerate potential breaking changes.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a running Redis server; Django Channels must already be installed and configured in your project.
- Low friction install with four runtime dependencies (redis, msgpack, asgiref, channels).
- Package is actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.
last release 2025-07-22 (388 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-12 · 649 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 4,922,010 downloads/mo, #2,198 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install channels-redis
# In Django settings.py:
CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
"default": {
"BACKEND": "channels_redis.core.RedisChannelLayer",
"CONFIG": {
"hosts": [("localhost", 6379)],
},
},
}- Performance characteristics and throughput limits of each implementation (RedisChannelLayer vs. RedisPubSubChannelLayer) under load.
- Whether the Beta status of RedisPubSubChannelLayer implies active breaking changes or stable-with-caution maturity.
What it is and what it does
channels_redis bridges Django Channels (an ASGI framework for async communication) with Redis, providing a persistent, distributed channel layer for real-time applications. It offers two implementations: RedisChannelLayer, which handles channels and groups directly, and RedisPubSubChannelLayer, which uses Redis Pub/Sub for message dispatch (currently in Beta). Both support single-server and sharded configurations, allowing you to scale WebSocket, HTTP streaming, and other real-time features across multiple application servers.
The package integrates into Django's CHANNEL_LAYERS setting and handles message routing, group membership, and capacity management. It supports SSL/TLS connections, Redis Sentinel for high availability, UNIX domain sockets, optional symmetric encryption, and configurable message expiry and per-channel capacity limits. The package is tested against Python 3.9 through 3.13 and maintains compatibility with current and legacy redis-py versions.
Use it for
- Scale WebSocket connections across multiple Django application servers using a shared Redis channel layer.
- Implement real-time group messaging (e.g., chat rooms, notifications) where consumers need to broadcast to many connected clients.
- Build high-availability ASGI deployments with Redis Sentinel for automatic failover and connection resilience.
- Add optional message encryption for sensitive real-time data transmitted through the channel layer.
- Configure per-channel capacity and message expiry to manage backpressure and memory usage in peaky traffic scenarios.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
channels_redis is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard Redis integration for Django Channels. Install it if you're building real-time features in Django and need to distribute channels across multiple servers—it's low-friction and well-tested. Use RedisPubSubChannelLayer only if you understand its Beta status and can tolerate potential breaking changes.
Install
channels-redis on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with four runtime dependencies (redis, msgpack, asgiref, channels). Package is actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities. Requires Python 3.9 or later.
Requires a running Redis server; Django Channels must already be installed and configured in your project.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install channels-redis
# In Django settings.py:
CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
"default": {
"BACKEND": "channels_redis.core.RedisChannelLayer",
"CONFIG": {
"hosts": [("localhost", 6379)],
},
},
}Verify before relying
- Performance characteristics and throughput limits of each implementation (RedisChannelLayer vs. RedisPubSubChannelLayer) under load.
- Whether the Beta status of RedisPubSubChannelLayer implies active breaking changes or stable-with-caution maturity.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagesredismsgpackasgirefchannels |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 388 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 4,922,010 / month, #2,198 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: channels_redis-4.3.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also channels · broadcaster · daphne · pottery · redis · django-redis-sessions · taskiq-redis · pyramid-session-redis · asgiref · py-redis