Redis Streams

Redis Streams Skill

A data type in Redis that models an append-only log.

Ecosystem Graph Preview

graph LR
  redis-streams["redis-streams"]:::core
  classDef core fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
  kafka -- "alternative to" --> redis-streams
  redis-streams -- "depends on" --> redis
  redis-streams -- "alternative to" --> kafka

Recommended Next Skills

• kafka (Score: 0.8) Why: Direct relationship, Both are Messaging, Can deploy to aws
• redis (Score: 0.7) Why: Direct relationship, Both are Databases
• mysql (Score: 0.4) Why: Both are Databases, Shared ecosystem (database), Can deploy to aws

Quick Start

Redis Streams acts similarly to Kafka, providing an append-only log that multiple consumer groups can read from simultaneously.

  # XADD key ID field value
redis-cli XADD mystream * sensor-id 1234 temp 19.8

Production Patterns

Consumer Groups

Do not use simple XREAD if you have multiple workers. Use Consumer Groups (XGROUP CREATE). This ensures that a single message in the stream is delivered to exactly one worker in the group, enabling horizontal scaling.

Architecture & Scaling

Trimming

Unlike Kafka, which uses disk, Redis Streams live in memory. You MUST trim the stream (MAXLEN) during XADD or via a background job, otherwise the stream will consume all Redis RAM and crash the server.

Error Recovery

If a consumer crashes before acknowledging a message, that message remains in the Pending Entries List (PEL). Write a separate cleanup worker that periodically inspects the PEL (XPENDING) and reassigns (XCLAIM) stalled messages to healthy workers.

Security Notes

When exposing Redis via Upstash or external providers, always enforce TLS and strongly generated ACL passwords. Never use the default default user for application connections.

References

• Redis Streams

Why use this skill

Use this when your agent works with redis-streams — structured patterns beat pasted docs and prevent common hallucinations.

AI pitfalls

• Inventing column names or schema fields
• Using deprecated driver methods or wrong connection strings
• Omitting connection pooling or transaction boundaries

Production checklist

• Migrations version-controlled and applied via CI
• Connection limits and pooling configured
• Backups and restore procedure documented

Related skills

• redis — depends on
• kafka — alternative to

Last Verified: 2026-07-02