Redis fails to start: Address already in use / Bad directive in config Redis Origin: Data OSI layer 7 · Application Last updated 5 Nov 2026

Redis: # Could not create server TCP listening socket *:6379: bind: Address already in use / *** FATAL CONFIG FILE ERROR ***

redis-server exits at startup because the port is taken or the config file has an error.

Exact message you may see Could not create server TCP listening socket *:6379: bind: Address already in use*** FATAL CONFIG FILE ERROR (Redis 7.0.0) ***Bad directive or wrong number of argumentsFailed listening on port 6379 (tcp), aborting.Can't open the append-only file: Permission denied
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Seen on: Redis Linux

Meaning

Find the owner of the port (ss -ltnp | grep 6379) — maybe a second Redis instance or a stuck process — or change port. For config errors, the message prints the line and reason (unknown directive, wrong arguments). Run redis-server /etc/redis/redis.conf --test-memory/check logs journalctl -u redis-server.

Common causes

  • Another Redis already on 6379
  • Config typo or unsupported directive for the version
  • Wrong file permissions/ownership
  • Invalid bind address
  • Stale PID/unix socket file

⚡ Quick fix

  1. sudo ss -ltnp | grep 6379 and stop the other process or change port
  2. Fix the config line shown in FATAL CONFIG FILE ERROR
  3. Check journalctl -u redis-server -n 50

Detailed fix by platform

Linux

  1. redis-server /etc/redis/redis.conf in foreground shows the exact error

How to diagnose

  1. Port — Owner?
  2. Config — Line number?
  3. Version — Directive supported?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Data. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

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