Redis GUI for Mac: Profiler, Pub/Sub and Memory Analysis

SQLly is a Redis GUI for macOS, Windows and Linux that treats Redis as a first-class engine, not a checkbox. You get a command editor that speaks redis-cli, a key browser that folds keys by prefix, and four dedicated tools most SQL clients never ship: a live profiler, a Pub/Sub viewer, a memory analyzer and slow log inspection. Redis sits in the same app as 29 SQL engines, so your cache stops living in a separate tool. I built this after too many weeks of Postgres in one client, Redis in another, redis-cli for anything serious.

A command editor and key browser that take Redis seriously

A query tab runs one command per line in redis-cli syntax, with the server's own error and line number when one fails. Replies come back as sortable, exportable result sets: hashes as field/value rows, INFO and CLIENT LIST as tables.

The explorer becomes a key browser: a bounded, non-blocking scan, keys folded by your delimiter, each key showing its type and TTL. Double-click a key and SQLly runs the right reader for its type, from GET and HGETALL to XRANGE and JSON.GET. Full rundown on the Redis database page.

The four dedicated Redis tools

Most SQL GUIs stop at the key browser. These are the tools I reach for when Redis misbehaves.

Profiler: watch every command as it happens

When the app feels slow and you suspect the cache, or some library is writing keys nobody asked for, the Redis profiler shows every command the server executes, live: timestamp, logical database, client address, command and arguments. Filters narrow by command name, client address or any text in the arguments.

It runs MONITOR on its own dedicated connection, since a command that never answers has no business on a request/response one, and closes it the moment you stop or switch away. Captures are time-boxed and bounded in memory, with a counter showing how many entries were dropped, which is more honesty than I usually get from a profiling session. MONITOR does tax the server, so profile in short bursts.

Pub/Sub viewer: did that message actually publish

The Pub/Sub viewer subscribes to channels or glob patterns and shows messages as they arrive: time, channel, the pattern matched, and the payload, with a preview for text, JSON, hex or MessagePack. It is the difference between "I think the event fired" and watching it fire.

Memory analysis: what is eating this database

When the memory graph climbs and nobody knows why, the memory analyzer answers with three reports from one bounded SCAN sample (up to 1,000 keys, never KEYS ): memory by data type, the 25 largest keys by MEMORY USAGE with type and TTL, and a TTL distribution. Running KEYS in production is a rite of passage; the analyzer exists so you never have to.

Slow log: the server's own list of expensive commands

The slow log shows SLOWLOG GET as a real table, with the slowlog-log-slower-than threshold displayed above it, so an empty list tells you whether the server is fast or the threshold too high. Changing it goes through a reviewed CONFIG SET: SQLly shows the exact statement and nothing runs until you confirm. Read-only connections refuse it outright.

Redis next to 29 SQL engines

The part no Redis-only tool can copy: Redis is one of 30 engines in the same native app, sharing one connection list, SSH tunnels and TLS options, and guardrails with your SQL work. On Redis, those mean FLUSHALL, FLUSHDB, DEL, CONFIG SET and SHUTDOWN ask before they run, and a read-only connection allows read-only commands only. Valkey, KeyDB, DragonflyDB, Amazon ElastiCache and Amazon MemoryDB are first-class connection choices.

Pricing: a free tier with two saved servers and no trial clock, then one-time licenses, $100 for all 1.x updates or $200 lifetime. Every engine ships in every tier, so your cache never needs a second license.

When Redis Insight or redis-cli is the better choice

Redis Insight is free, built by Redis itself, and deeper on Redis than anything else: every module data type including JSON, Search, TimeSeries and vector sets, plus Docker, Kubernetes and Redis Cloud console deployments for teams. It also runs on Intel Macs, where SQLly's Mac build is Apple Silicon only (Windows and Linux are a supported beta). If Redis is your entire world, the official tool earns its place. Row-by-row: SQLly vs Redis Insight.

redis-cli is already on your server. Over SSH, or inside a script, I still use it and always will.

FAQ

Is SQLly free for Redis? Yes. The free tier covers two saved servers with unlimited databases each, every engine included, no trial clock. Companies over 100 employees need a license: $100 once for 1.x, or $200 for lifetime.

Does SQLly work with Valkey, ElastiCache or MemoryDB? Yes, as connection types in their own right. MemoryDB requires TLS.

Can I try the Redis tools in the browser? The live preview runs the real workbench on sample SQL databases. The Redis tools need a live server, so download the app and connect to your own Redis. Free tier, no account.

Does it run on my Mac? The macOS build is signed and notarized, Apple Silicon only. Windows and Linux are a supported beta. On an Intel Mac, Redis Insight is the honest answer today.

Can I run MONITOR or SUBSCRIBE in a query tab? No. Commands that never finish are refused before they can hang the tab; the profiler and Pub/Sub viewer run them on dedicated connections that close the moment you stop.

Try it on your own Redis

• Open the live preview: the real workbench on sample data, no install, no account.
• Download SQLly and connect with a redis:// URL.
• Run the profiler for thirty seconds while your app handles traffic.

If it doesn't show you something you didn't know about your Redis, close it and keep your current setup.