RedisCode The basics
Write for broad audiences. Not everyone is going to read every word you write. Use descriptive headlines and subheads and group similar ideas together so they can be consumed more easily.
- Be clear and specific. Opt for short, punchy sentences. Avoid fluff and unnecessary words.
- Be consistent. Follow the guidelines presented here. This is a living document and will be updated regularly.
Writing the Redis way
Our writing should always be on brand and useful. We do this by following a few key principles that shape the ways we communicate.
We own fast, not speed
Everyone in this industry talks about speed, but we do it better. Anyone can say they have speed (a technical capability), but we reinforce our positioning by saying "fast" (a more daring and upfront take on speed).
Fast means shorter
We cut to the chase faster than anyone else, dropping all unnecessary words and phrases. And we go even further. We abbreviate common industry jargon where it makes the most sense, like docs, devs, apps, and GenAI.
We talk dev
No one knows Redis better than our team, but we don't hold our knowledge over anyone's head. We write like devs because we are devs—we've experienced the challenges and stresses they face. This shared understanding makes our writing more meaningful for our most important audience.
We're universal
Our audiences live across the globe, so we avoid language that only a native English speaker would understand.
We're funny, not punny
Puns are too cutesy for us. We don't make jokes—we share funny, relatable situations that only a dev would lol about. Our sense of humor never distracts from consumer benefit.
Never use "Redis" as a pun, as a verb or personification, as in "Are you Redis?," "Redis set go," or "Redis gets you."
We make it about you, not us
No matter what we're writing, we clearly communicate the emotional or functional benefit to the user.
We're experts
Instead of emphasizing our expertise throughout our content, we invite our readers to connect with our "experts," asking questions and continuing to learn. We encourage our readers to connect with a Redis Expert when and wherever it makes sense, including calls to action.
Editorial style
Abbreviations and acronyms
We're all about fast. That means saving our readers time whenever we can. Abbreviate common industry jargon on every reference. This includes:
- Applications > apps
- Documentation > docs
- Developers > devs
- Generative AI > GenAI
- User experience > UX
Active voice
Active voice makes writing easier to digest and saves unnecessary words. Writing in active voice means the subject of the sentence does the action.
Active: Adam drove the car. Passive: The car was driven by Adam.
Words like "was" and "by" are sure signs of passive voice. Keep an eye out and rework sentences to avoid using them.
Ampersands
Avoid using ampersands unless you are trying to save space in a headline or subhead.
Analogies
Use these comparisons in paragraphs as needed to create language that feels situationally relatable.
Bulleted lists
Bulleted lists are a great way to break up longer blocks of copy and group sections of information. Always capitalize the first word of each bullet. Use periods if the bullets are complete sentences and no periods if the bullets are sentence fragments.
Calls to action (CTAs)
Every call-to-action, or CTA, should clearly prompt someone to take a functional action. They don't need a creative spin. And they definitely shouldn't have jargon.
Capitalization
Always use sentence case. Never Title Headlines Like This.
See the section "How we write about Redis" for specific instructions on Redis product names and more.
Commas
Clarity is key in our content. Use the Oxford comma when listing a simple series.
Example: Redis is the best option for caching, vector search, and session management.
Dashes and hyphens
Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on either side to link words into a single phrase, or to indicate a span or range: first-time user Monday-Friday
Use an em-dash (—) without spaces on either side to offset an aside or for emphasis. Redis—the leader for in-memory storage—is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Redis makes it possible to bring more powerful, resilient products to market—fast.
Dates & times
When including the day of the week in a date, place a comma after the day. Example: Friday, December 25
Write A.M. and P.M. in lowercase, include a space after the hour, and don't use periods between the letters. Example: It's at 9 pm tomorrow.
For times on the hour, don't include minutes. Example: 7 PM, not 7:00 PM
Headlines and subheads
Use sentence casing without periods for headlines and subheads in pages.
Punctuation
We never use exclamation marks, using our tone instead to reflect our enthusiasm where appropriate. But we can use sentence breaks and em-dashes to support our irreverent tone in particular.
How we write about Redis
Capitalization
It's important to capitalize our unique product offerings to differentiate our product from our competitors. Here's a running list of terms that should be capitalized on every reference:
- Active-Active Geo Distribution
- Auto Tiering
- Copilot - Never capitalize the "p"
- GenAI - Not "generative AI" or "Gen AI"
- Google Cloud - Never GCP
- Redis Cloud - Never Redis Enterprise Cloud
- Redis Software - Never Redis Enterprise Software
- Redis Insight - Two words
- Redis Data Integration (RDI)
- Redis Search - Two words
These terms are not ownable proper nouns and, therefore, should use sentence case.
- Vector search - This phrase isn't a proper noun, so it doesn't need to be capitalized. Never use "vector similarity search"
- Vector database - This phrase isn't a proper noun, so it doesn't need to be capitalized.
Describing Redis and our features
Redis is a product—and we refer to it that way. It's not a platform, offering, interface, etc.
We are a team of hundreds who are obsessed with making our product the best it can be.
Our unique product offerings have specific names that should be followed in every reference, in all content. Several of these have been updated following the Redis 2.0 brand relaunch.
- Redis OSS > open source Redis
- Redis Enterprise Cloud > Redis Cloud
- Redis Enterprise Software > Redis Software
- RedisInsight > Redis Insight—always two words
- Redis Open Source > open source Redis
- GCP > Google Cloud
- Vector similarity search > vector search
No-go phrases
These are brand phrases that have been sunsetted. Avoid using these in all external content.
"Real time, right now" "If it's real-time, it's Redis" "The real Redis" "The best Redis" "The original Redis" "Redis Enterprise"