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Private Chat uses Upstash Redis for real-time messaging and data storage. This guide walks you through creating a database and obtaining your credentials.

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Create an Upstash account

1

Sign up for Upstash

Go to upstash.com and click “Get Started” or “Sign Up”.You can sign up with:
  • GitHub
  • Google
  • Email
2

Verify your account

If you signed up with email, verify your account by clicking the link in the confirmation email.

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Create a Redis database

1

Navigate to Redis

From your Upstash console, click on “Redis” in the top navigation or sidebar.
2

Create database

Click the “Create Database” button.
3

Configure your database

Fill in the database details:
  • Name: Choose a descriptive name (e.g., private-chat-prod)
  • Type: Select “Regional” for better latency
  • Region: Choose a region close to where your application will be deployed
  • TLS: Keep enabled for secure connections
If you’re deploying on Vercel, choose a region that matches your Vercel deployment region for optimal performance.
4

Create the database

Click “Create” and wait a few seconds for your database to be provisioned.

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Get your credentials

Once your database is created, you need to copy your credentials.
1

Open database details

Click on your newly created database to open its details page.
2

Find REST API section

Scroll down to the “REST API” section. You’ll see two important values:
  • UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL
  • UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN
3

Copy credentials

Click the copy button next to each value to copy them to your clipboard.
Keep your token secret! Never share it publicly or commit it to version control.

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Add credentials to your project

Now that you have your credentials, you need to add them to your project.

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For local development

Create a .env.local file in your project root:
.env.local
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL=https://your-database.upstash.io
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN=your_token_here

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For Vercel deployment

Add the environment variables in your Vercel project settings:
  1. Go to your project in Vercel
  2. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
  3. Add both UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL and UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN
  4. Select which environments they should be available in (Production, Preview, Development)
See the Vercel deployment guide for detailed instructions.

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Free tier limits

Upstash offers a generous free tier that includes:
  • 10,000 commands per day
  • 256 MB storage
  • All regions available
  • TLS encryption
This is sufficient for development and small production deployments.
You can monitor your usage in the Upstash console. If you exceed the free tier limits, consider upgrading to a paid plan.

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Next steps

Now that you have your Upstash Redis database set up:

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