jgamaraalv Redis Core
Foundational guidance for modeling data in Redis. Covers data-type selection and key-name conventions — the two decisions that most directly drive memory, performance, and maintainability.
1. Choose the right data structure
Pick the type that matches the access pattern, not just the shape of the data.
| Use case | Recommended type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Simple values, counters | String | Atomic INCR/DECR, SET/GET |
| Object with independently updated fields | Hash | Per-field reads/writes, no whole-object rewrite |
| Queue, recent-N items | List | O(1) push/pop at ends |
| Unique items, membership checks | Set | O(1) SADD/SISMEMBER/SCARD |
| Rankings, score-based ranges | Sorted Set | Score-ordered; ZADD/ZRANGE/ZRANK |
| Nested / hierarchical data | JSON | Path-level updates, nested arrays, RQE indexing |
| Event log, fan-out messaging | Stream | Persistent, consumer groups |
| Vector similarity | Vector Set | Native vector storage with HNSW |
Common anti-pattern: stuffing a flat object into a serialized string. Updating one field means fetch + parse + mutate + rewrite. Use a Hash instead.
See references/choose-data-structure.md for full rationale and Python/Java examples.
2. Use consistent key names
Use colon-separated segments with a stable hierarchy:
{entity}:{id}:{attribute}
user:1001:profile
user:1001:settings
order:2024:items
session:abc123
article:987:likes
game:space-invaders:leaderboard
Rules of thumb:
- Lowercase, colon-separated. No spaces, no mixed casing (
User_1001_Profileis bad). - Keep keys short but readable — keys live in memory and appear in every command.
- Don't use full URLs or long strings as keys. Extract a short identifier, or use a hash digest of the URL.
- Prefix for multi-tenancy (
tenant:42:user:7:cart) so scans and ACLs can target a tenant cleanly. - Be consistent. Pick one convention per service and apply it across all keys.
See references/key-naming.md for cleanup examples and edge cases.