Requirements
Before using the Redis message queue backend with Slack MCP Server, ensure your system meets the following requirements:
Quick Checklist
- ✅ Python 3.12 or 3.13 installed
- ✅ Redis 6.0+ running (7.0+ recommended)
- ✅ pip or uv package manager
- ✅ Network access to Redis server
- ✅ 500MB+ free disk space
System Requirements
- Operating System: Linux, macOS, or Windows
- Memory: Minimum 512MB RAM (2GB+ recommended for production)
- Disk Space: Minimum 500MB for Redis and Python dependencies
- Internet Connection: Required for installing packages and connecting to remote Redis instances
Core Prerequisites
Python Version
- Python: Version 3.12 or 3.13
- Recommended: Python 3.13 for best async performance
Python Installation
If you don't have Python installed:
- macOS:
brew install python@3.13
- Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt install python3.13
- Windows: Download from python.org or use
winget install Python.Python.3.13
Package Manager
You can use any Python package manager:
- pip (standard, included with Python)
- uv (fast, modern alternative)
- poetry (dependency management)
Installation with pip:
pip install abe-redis
Installation with uv (recommended for speed):
# Install uv
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Install the package
uv pip install abe-redis
Redis Server
- Redis: Version 6.0 or higher (7.0+ recommended)
- Redis Streams: Must support XADD, XREAD, XREADGROUP commands
Installation Options:
# Docker (recommended for development)
docker run -d --name redis-mcp -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine
# macOS
brew install redis
brew services start redis
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server
# Windows
# Use Docker or download from https://github.com/microsoftarchive/redis/releases
Slack MCP Server Integration
Required Packages
The Redis backend requires:
pip install abe-redis
This automatically installs:
redis[hiredis]>=6.4.0
- Redis client with high-performance parserslack-mcp>=0.0.1
- Slack MCP Server core (if not already installed)
Optional: Slack MCP Server
If you're running the full Slack MCP Server:
pip install slack-mcp-server
Redis Deployment Options
Local Development
- Docker: Easiest for development (recommended)
- Native Installation: Direct installation on your OS
Production Options
- Self-Hosted Redis: On your own servers
- Redis Cloud: Managed Redis service
- AWS ElastiCache: Redis on AWS
- Google Cloud Memorystore: Redis on GCP
- Azure Cache for Redis: Redis on Azure
- DigitalOcean Managed Redis: Redis on DigitalOcean
Optional Tools
For Development & Testing
- redis-cli: Command-line Redis client (included with Redis)
- RedisInsight: GUI for Redis (optional, helpful for debugging)
For Monitoring
- redis-cli: Built-in monitoring commands
- Prometheus: Metrics collection
- Grafana: Metrics visualization
Environment Setup Verification
After installing the prerequisites, verify your setup:
# Check Python version
python --version # Should be 3.12 or 3.13
# Check Redis is running
redis-cli ping # Should return "PONG"
# Check Redis version
redis-cli INFO server | grep redis_version
# Verify package installation
pip show abe-redis
# Test Redis connection from Python
python -c "import redis; r = redis.Redis(); print(r.ping())"
Next Steps
Once your environment meets these requirements, you're ready to:
- 🚀 Quick Start Guide - Get started in 5 minutes with usage examples
- 🛠️ Installation Guide - Detailed installation instructions
- 📚 API Reference - Complete API documentation
Common Issues & Solutions
Python Version Issues
# If you have multiple Python versions, specify the version
python3.13 -m pip install abe-redis
Redis Connection Issues
# If Redis is not responding
# Check if Redis is running
ps aux | grep redis
# Start Redis if not running
# Docker:
docker start redis-mcp
# macOS:
brew services start redis
# Linux:
sudo systemctl start redis-server
Permission Issues
# If you get permission errors during pip install
pip install --user abe-redis
# Or use a virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Linux/macOS
pip install abe-redis
Redis Streams Not Available
# Verify Redis version supports Streams (6.0+)
redis-cli INFO server | grep redis_version
# If version is too old, upgrade Redis
Ready to proceed? Let's move on to the Quick Start Guide!