How to test the Redis automatic failover?

Posted on January 11, 2024

I am testing DigitalOcean Managed Redis Database and I would like to test the automatic failover feature. It is mentioned in the docs that one can initial a failover using the FAILOVER command.

I am connecting to master with redli, but unfortunately neither FAILOVER nor other commands with @admin ACL seem to be unrecognized:

> FAILOVER
(error) ERR unknown command 'FAILOVER', with args beginning with:

This behavior makes me conclude that the default user does not have enough permissions to execute such commands.

I tried to fiddle with CLIENT PAUSE , ACL and even doctl database user, but no luck. Am I missing something? What is the recommended way to simulate a failover?

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Bobby Iliev

January 12, 2024

Accepted Answer

Hi there,

Testing the automatic failover feature of DigitalOcean’s Managed Redis Database requires a bit of finesse, as you’ve noticed. The default user in a managed Redis instance typically doesn’t have permissions to execute commands like FAILOVER, which are reserved for administrative purposes. This limitation is in place for security and stability reasons.

If the primary node fails, a standby node is automatically promoted to replace it but you can not trigger this on demand.

If you need a more controlled and safe way to test failover, consider reaching out to DigitalOcean’s support team. They may provide insights or methods for testing specific to the Managed Redis service which is not available out of the box.