> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/taskforcesh/bullmq/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Install BullMQ in your Node.js project

BullMQ is available as an npm package. You can install it using your preferred package manager.

## Prerequisites

Before installing BullMQ, ensure you have:

* **Node.js** 16.x or higher
* **Redis** 6.2.0 or higher (Redis 7+ recommended)

<Warning>
  BullMQ requires a Redis instance to function. Make sure you have Redis installed and running before using BullMQ.
</Warning>

## Install BullMQ

Choose your preferred package manager:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npm install bullmq
  ```

  ```bash yarn theme={null}
  yarn add bullmq
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpm add bullmq
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bun add bullmq
  ```
</CodeGroup>

The package includes TypeScript type definitions, so no additional `@types` package is needed.

## Install Redis

If you don't have Redis installed yet, you have several options:

### Using Docker

The easiest way to get Redis running locally:

```bash theme={null}
docker run -d -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine
```

### Using Docker Compose

Create a `docker-compose.yml` file:

```yaml theme={null}
version: '3.8'
services:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    ports:
      - '6379:6379'
    command: redis-server --maxmemory-policy noeviction
```

Then run:

```bash theme={null}
docker-compose up -d
```

<Note>
  The `maxmemory-policy noeviction` setting is important to prevent Redis from automatically removing keys, which would cause unexpected errors in BullMQ.
</Note>

### System Package Manager

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash macOS theme={null}
  brew install redis
  brew services start redis
  ```

  ```bash Ubuntu/Debian theme={null}
  sudo apt update
  sudo apt install redis-server
  sudo systemctl start redis-server
  ```

  ```bash Fedora/RHEL theme={null}
  sudo dnf install redis
  sudo systemctl start redis
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Cloud Redis Providers

For production environments, consider managed Redis services:

* **AWS** - ElastiCache or MemoryDB
* **Google Cloud** - Memorystore
* **Azure** - Azure Cache for Redis
* **Upstash** - Serverless Redis
* **Redis Cloud** - Official Redis hosting

## Redis Configuration

For optimal BullMQ performance, configure your Redis instance with these settings:

```bash theme={null}
# Prevent automatic key eviction
maxmemory-policy noeviction

# Enable persistence (optional but recommended)
save 900 1
save 300 10
save 60 10000

# Append-only file for durability (optional)
appendonly yes
appendfsync everysec
```

<Warning>
  **Important:** Always set `maxmemory-policy noeviction` to avoid automatic removal of keys, which would cause unexpected errors in BullMQ.
</Warning>

## Verify Installation

Create a simple test file to verify your installation:

```typescript test.ts theme={null}
import { Queue } from 'bullmq';

const queue = new Queue('test');

console.log('BullMQ installed successfully!');

await queue.add('test-job', { message: 'Hello BullMQ!' });
console.log('Job added to queue');

await queue.close();
```

Run it:

```bash theme={null}
node --loader ts-node/esm test.ts
# or with tsx
npx tsx test.ts
```

If everything is installed correctly, you should see the success messages.

## Alternative Redis Implementations

BullMQ is compatible with Redis-compatible databases:

### Dragonfly

[Dragonfly](https://www.dragonflydb.io/) is a drop-in Redis replacement that offers:

* Massive performance improvements by utilizing all CPU cores
* More efficient memory usage
* Full BullMQ compatibility

```bash theme={null}
docker run -p 6379:6379 docker.dragonflydb.io/dragonflydb/dragonfly
```

### Valkey

Valkey is an open-source Redis fork that is fully compatible with BullMQ.

## IoRedis Dependency

BullMQ uses [ioredis](https://github.com/luin/ioredis) as its Redis client. This is installed automatically as a dependency. You can also install it explicitly if you want to manage Redis connections yourself:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npm install ioredis
  ```

  ```bash yarn theme={null}
  yarn add ioredis
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpm add ioredis
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bun add ioredis
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## TypeScript Support

BullMQ is written in TypeScript and includes type definitions. For the best development experience:

1. Use TypeScript 4.5 or higher
2. Enable `strict` mode in your `tsconfig.json`
3. Consider enabling `esModuleInterop` for easier imports

```json tsconfig.json theme={null}
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2020",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "lib": ["ES2020"],
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true
  }
}
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/quick-start">
    Create your first queue and worker
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="sitemap" href="/architecture">
    Learn how BullMQ works internally
  </Card>
</CardGroup>