Massed Compute

Launch Ubuntu VM

Create a new VM in the Massed Compute dashboard or via API:

• Image: Ubuntu Server 24.04
• Instance type: cpu_mini_amd_epyc or larger
• Region: Select any region with available capacity
• SSH key: Upload your public key for authentication

Wait for the VM to reach running state and note the public IP address.

Prepare Redis Password

Generate a strong password for Redis authentication. Store it securely—you’ll need it for application connections:

# Generate a 32-character random password
openssl rand -base64 24

Replace YOUR_REDIS_PASSWORD in the next step with this generated password.

Install and Configure Redis

Run this script from your workstation to install Redis with secure defaults:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/your_key ubuntu@YOUR_VM_IP 'bash -s' <<'REMOTE'
set -euo pipefail

REDIS_PASSWORD='YOUR_REDIS_PASSWORD'

export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y redis-server ufw

# Configure firewall
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw --force enable

# Backup original config
sudo cp /etc/redis/redis.conf /etc/redis/redis.conf.bak

# Apply secure configuration
sudo sed -i \
  -e "s/^# *requirepass .*/requirepass $REDIS_PASSWORD/" \
  -e "s/^bind .*/bind 127.0.0.1 ::1/" \
  -e "s/^protected-mode .*/protected-mode yes/" \
  /etc/redis/redis.conf

# Disable dangerous commands
for cmd in FLUSHALL FLUSHDB CONFIG DEBUG KEYS; do
  if sudo grep -Eq "^rename-command[[:space:]]+$cmd[[:space:]]+" /etc/redis/redis.conf; then
    sudo sed -i "s/^rename-command[[:space:]]\+$cmd.*/rename-command $cmd \"\"/" /etc/redis/redis.conf
  else
    echo "rename-command $cmd \"\"" | sudo tee -a /etc/redis/redis.conf >/dev/null
  fi
done

# Enable and restart Redis
sudo systemctl enable --now redis-server
sudo systemctl restart redis-server

echo "REDIS_BOOTSTRAP_OK"
REMOTE

Verify Installation

Test Redis functionality and security configuration:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/your_key ubuntu@YOUR_VM_IP 'bash -s' <<'REMOTE'
set -euo pipefail

REDIS_PASSWORD='YOUR_REDIS_PASSWORD'

# Test basic Redis operations
redis-cli -a "$REDIS_PASSWORD" --no-auth-warning ping | grep -qx PONG
redis-cli -a "$REDIS_PASSWORD" --no-auth-warning SET test_key "hello" | grep -qx OK
redis-cli -a "$REDIS_PASSWORD" --no-auth-warning GET test_key | grep -qx "hello"

# Verify dangerous commands are disabled
redis-cli -a "$REDIS_PASSWORD" --no-auth-warning CONFIG GET requirepass 2>&1 | grep -qi "unknown command"

# Check service and firewall status
sudo systemctl is-active --quiet redis-server
sudo ufw status | grep -q '^Status: active'
sudo ss -ltnp | grep -E '127\.0\.0\.1:6379|\[::1\]:6379'

echo "REDIS_SMOKE_OK"
REMOTE

Connect Your Application

Redis is now ready for applications. Connect using localhost binding with authentication:

# Python example
import redis

r = redis.Redis(
    host='127.0.0.1',
    port=6379,
    password='YOUR_REDIS_PASSWORD',
    decode_responses=True
)

# Test connection
r.ping()  # Should return True
r.set('app_key', 'app_value')
print(r.get('app_key'))  # Prints: app_value