Run this [Redis][] image with: $ docker run -d --name redis-0 wking/redis Then [link][linking] to it from your client container: $ docker run --link redis-0:redis your-client Inside your client, use the `REDIS_PORT` environment variable (which should be something like `tcp://172.17.0.8:6379`) to configure your client's Redis connection. Linking like this *does not* expose the port on your host interface (that's what `-p` is for). You can spin up as many Redis containers as you like (`redis-1`, `redis-2`, …), and link to any of them from any client container. [Redis]: http://redis.io/ [linking]: http://docs.docker.io/en/latest/use/port_redirection/#linking-a-container