Redis connection refused in Laravel - Rocketeers app

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Redis connection refused in Laravel
===================================

### [\#Laravel](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/laravel)

When Laravel uses Redis for cache, sessions or queues, a "Connection refused" error means it cannot reach the Redis server. Usually the service is down or the host is wrong, especially in Docker.

 Published by [Mark van Eijk](https://rocketeersapp.com/author/mark-van-eijk) on June 23, 2026 · 1 minute read

1. [About the error](#content-about-the-error)
2. [Why do I see this error](#content-why-do-i-see-this-error)
3. [Solution](#content-solution)
4. [Check Redis is running](#content-check-redis-is-running)
5. [Verify the connection settings](#content-verify-the-connection-settings)
6. [Docker: use the service name](#content-docker-use-the-service-name)
7. [Clear cached config](#content-clear-cached-config)

[\#](#content-about-the-error "Permalink")About the error
---------------------------------------------------------

 ```
Predis\Connection\ConnectionException: Connection refused [tcp://127.0.0.1:6379]

```

(Or the phpredis equivalent.) Laravel tried to open a connection to Redis and nothing accepted it at that address. This is different from an authentication or wrong-database error, the connection never got established at all.

[\#](#content-why-do-i-see-this-error "Permalink")Why do I see this error
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Redis isn't running.
- `REDIS_HOST` or `REDIS_PORT` is wrong.
- **In Docker**, `127.0.0.1` from inside the app container points at the container itself, not the Redis container.
- Redis requires a password (`requirepass`) that you haven't set in `.env`.

[\#](#content-solution "Permalink")Solution
-------------------------------------------

### [\#](#content-check-redis-is-running "Permalink")Check Redis is running

 ```
systemctl status redis-server
redis-cli ping     # should reply PONG

```

If `ping` replies `PONG`, the server is up and the problem is how Laravel addresses it.

### [\#](#content-verify-the-connection-settings "Permalink")Verify the connection settings

 ```
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PORT=6379
REDIS_PASSWORD=null

CACHE_STORE=redis
SESSION_DRIVER=redis
QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis

```

### [\#](#content-docker-use-the-service-name "Permalink")Docker: use the service name

Inside a container, `127.0.0.1` is the container, not the host. Set `REDIS_HOST` to the **service name** from your `docker-compose.yml`:

 ```
REDIS_HOST=redis

```

 ```
services:
  redis:
    image: redis:7
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"

```

### [\#](#content-clear-cached-config "Permalink")Clear cached config

If you changed `.env` but Laravel still connects to the old address, the config is cached:

 ```
php artisan config:clear

```

See [environment variables in Laravel](/environment-variables-laravel) for how these values are loaded, and [SQLSTATE\[HY000\] \[2002\] Connection refused](/sqlstate-hy000-2002-connection-refused) for the same class of "can't reach the service" problem with MySQL.

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