--- name: redis-cli description: Redis command-line interface (redis-cli) reference and usage guide. Use this skill whenever the user mentions redis-cli, Redis CLI, or any task involving querying, inspecting, debugging, or managing Redis from the command line. Triggers on key/value reads and writes, SCAN or keyspace... risk: unknown source: https://github.com/chaunsin/agent-skills/tree/master/skills/redis-cli source_repo: chaunsin/agent-skills source_type: community date_added: 2026-07-01 license: Apache-2.0 license_source: https://github.com/chaunsin/agent-skills/blob/master/LICENSE --- # redis-cli — Redis Command Line Interface ## When to Use Use this skill when you need redis command-line interface (redis-cli) reference and usage guide. Use this skill whenever the user mentions redis-cli, Redis CLI, or any task involving querying, inspecting, debugging, or managing Redis from the command line. Triggers on key/value reads and writes, SCAN or keyspace... redis-cli is the primary command-line tool for interacting with Redis. It supports two modes: **command-line execution** (run a command and exit) and **interactive mode** (a REPL with tab completion, history, and hints). It also provides special modes for monitoring, latency analysis, key space scanning, and data import/export. **Official resources:** [Redis CLI Docs](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/tools/cli/) | [Commands](https://redis.io/commands/) | [Download](https://redis.io/downloads/) ## Prerequisites ```bash # Check if redis-cli is installed redis-cli --version # Install options: # macOS (Homebrew) brew install redis # Ubuntu / Debian sudo apt install redis-tools # CentOS / RHEL sudo yum install redis # Alpine apk add redis # Build from source (binary only) make redis-cli # Binary at: src/redis-cli # Docker (no installation needed) docker run -it --rm redis redis-cli -h -p PING ``` ## Security Considerations > **IMPORTANT**: Redis provides powerful operations that can irreversibly modify or delete data. > Pay close attention to the following safety guidelines: - **Never pass passwords via `-a` in production** — visible in shell history and process listings. Use `REDISCLI_AUTH` environment variable instead. - **`KEYS *` blocks the server** on large databases — always use `SCAN` in production code. - **`MONITOR` logs all commands** including sensitive data — use cautiously, and never for extended periods on production servers. - **`FLUSHALL` / `FLUSHDB` are irreversible** — verify target database with `CLIENT LIST` or `INFO keyspace` first. - **`--rdb` transfer during write operations** may produce inconsistent snapshots on busy servers. ## Quick Reference ### Connection ```bash # Basic connection (default: 127.0.0.1:6379) redis-cli redis-cli -h redis15.localnet.org -p 6390 PING # With password (prefer REDISCLI_AUTH env var for security) redis-cli -a myUnguessablePazzzzzword123 PING # URI connection redis-cli -u redis://user:password@host:port/dbnum PING # TLS redis-cli --tls --cacert /path/to/ca.crt -h redis.example.com PING # Specific database redis-cli -n 2 DBSIZE # IPv4/IPv6 preference redis-cli -4 PING # prefer IPv4 redis-cli -6 PING # prefer IPv6 ``` ### Command-Line vs Interactive Mode ```bash # Command-line mode: execute one command and exit redis-cli INCR mycounter redis-cli GET mykey # Interactive mode: type commands at the prompt redis-cli 127.0.0.1:6379> PING PONG 127.0.0.1:6379> SELECT 2 OK 127.0.0.1:6379[2]> DBSIZE (integer) 1 ``` The prompt shows `host:port[db]`. Use `CONNECT ` to switch instances interactively. ### Data Query Cheat Sheet **String operations** (O(1)): ``` GET key # Get value SET key value [NX|XX] [EX sec|PX ms|KEEPTTL] # Set with conditions/TTL SET key value GET # Set new, return old value GETSET key newvalue # [Use SET key value GET instead] MGET key1 key2 ... # Get multiple values INCR key # Increment integer (+1) INCRBY key 10 # Increment by amount STRLEN key # String length GETRANGE key 0 50 # Substring ``` **Hash operations**: ``` HGET key field # Get field value O(1) HMGET key f1 f2 # Get multiple fields O(N) HGETALL key # Get all fields/values O(N) HKEYS key # Get all field names O(N) HLEN key # Number of fields O(1) HEXISTS key field # Check field exists O(1) HSCAN key 0 [MATCH pat] # Iterate hash fields O(1) per call ``` **List operations**: ``` LRANGE key 0 -1 # Get all elements O(N) LLEN key # List length O(1) LINDEX key 0 # Get by index O(N) LPOS key value # Find element position O(N) ``` **Set operations**: ``` SMEMBERS key # Get all members O(N) SCARD key # Set cardinality O(1) SISMEMBER key member # Check membership O(1) SMISMEMBER key m1 m2 # Multi-membership check O(N) SSCAN key 0 [MATCH pat] # Iterate set members O(1) per call ``` **Sorted Set operations**: ``` ZRANGE key 0 -1 [WITHSCORES] # By index O(log(N)+M) ZRANGE key -inf +inf BYSCORE # By score range O(log(N)+M) ZRANGE key [a [z BYLEX # By lexicographic O(log(N)+M) ZCARD key # Member count O(1) ZSCORE key member # Get score O(1) ZRANK key member # Get rank O(log(N)) ZSCAN key 0 [MATCH pat] # Iterate members O(1) per call ``` **Key inspection**: ``` EXISTS key [key ...] # Check existence (O(N) for multi) — returns count TYPE key # Data type: string|list|set|zset|hash|stream O(1) TTL key # Seconds until expiry (-1=none, -2=not exists) O(1) PTTL key # Milliseconds until expiry O(1) MEMORY USAGE key [SAMPLES n] # Memory consumption in bytes O(N) OBJECT ENCODING key # Internal encoding (ziplist, hashtable, etc.) O(1) OBJECT IDLETIME key # Seconds since last access O(1) DBSIZE # Total keys in current database O(1) RANDOMKEY # Return a random key O(1) ``` ### Key Scanning (Production-Safe) SCAN-based iteration never blocks the server, unlike `KEYS *` which should be avoided in production. ```bash # redis-cli built-in scan mode redis-cli --scan # List all keys redis-cli --scan --pattern 'user:*' # Filter by pattern redis-cli --scan --pattern '*:12345*' # Glob patterns redis-cli --scan --count 100 # Batch size hint # Programmatic SCAN in interactive mode SCAN 0 MATCH user:* COUNT 100 # Returns: 1) next_cursor 2) [keys...] # Continue with: SCAN MATCH user:* COUNT 100 # Iteration complete when cursor returns 0 # Count keys matching a pattern redis-cli --scan --pattern 'session:*' | wc -l ``` SCAN guarantees: a full iteration (cursor 0 → cursor 0) always returns all elements that existed for the entire duration. Elements may appear multiple times — handle duplicates in your application. ### Server Inspection ```bash # Real-time stats (updates every second, use -i to change interval) redis-cli --stat # Server information redis-cli INFO server # Server details redis-cli INFO memory # Memory usage redis-cli INFO keyspace # Database key counts redis-cli INFO replication # Replication status redis-cli INFO all # Everything # Key space analysis redis-cli --bigkeys # Find largest keys by element count redis-cli --memkeys # Find largest keys by memory usage redis-cli --keystats # Combined bigkeys + memkeys with distribution # Latency analysis redis-cli --latency # Continuous latency sampling redis-cli --latency-history # Latency over time (15s windows) redis-cli --latency-dist # Latency spectrum visualization redis-cli --intrinsic-latency 5 # System baseline latency (run on Redis host) ``` ### Output Control ```bash # Raw output (no type prefixes) — default when piping redis-cli --raw GET mykey redis-cli GET mykey > /tmp/output.txt # auto raw mode # Human-readable (force) when piping redis-cli --no-raw GET mykey | cat # CSV output redis-cli --csv LRANGE mylist 0 -1 # JSON output (RESP3, use -2 for RESP2) redis-cli --json HGETALL user:1 # Read last argument from stdin cat /etc/services | redis-cli -x SET net_services # Pipe commands from file cat /tmp/commands.txt | redis-cli ``` ### Repeat Commands ```bash # Run command N times redis-cli -r 5 INCR counter # Run with delay (seconds, supports decimals) redis-cli -r -1 -i 1 INFO | grep rss_human # infinite, every 1s # Interactive: prefix with count 5 INCR mycounter # runs 5 times ``` ### Server Administration ```bash # ACL management redis-cli ACL LIST # List all users redis-cli ACL SETUSER admin on >pwd ~* +@all # Create admin user redis-cli ACL SETUSER readonly on >pwd ~* +@read # Create read-only user redis-cli ACL DELUSER username # Delete user redis-cli ACL DRYRUN username GET key # Test user permission redis-cli ACL GENPASS # Generate random password # Client management redis-cli CLIENT LIST # List all connections redis-cli CLIENT KILL ADDR ip:port # Disconnect client redis-cli CLIENT PAUSE 5000 WRITE # Pause writes for 5s redis-cli CLIENT SETNAME my-app # Name current connection # Configuration redis-cli CONFIG GET maxmemory # Read config redis-cli CONFIG SET maxmemory 100mb # Set config at runtime redis-cli CONFIG REWRITE # Persist to redis.conf redis-cli CONFIG RESETSTAT # Reset INFO counters # Replication acknowledgment redis-cli WAIT 2 5000 # Wait for 2 replicas (5s timeout) redis-cli WAITAOF 1 1 5000 # Wait for AOF fsync (Redis 7.2+) # Persistence redis-cli BGSAVE # Background RDB save redis-cli BGREWRITEAOF # Background AOF rewrite redis-cli LASTSAVE # Last save timestamp # Replication redis-cli REPLICAOF host port # Become replica redis-cli REPLICAOF NO ONE # Promote to master # Server lifecycle redis-cli SHUTDOWN SAVE # Save and stop redis-cli SHUTDOWN NOSAVE # Stop without saving # Slow log redis-cli SLOWLOG GET 10 # Recent slow commands redis-cli SLOWLOG LEN # Entry count redis-cli SLOWLOG RESET # Clear entries # Cluster management redis-cli --cluster check host:port # Check cluster health redis-cli --cluster reshard host:port # Move slots between nodes redis-cli -c -h cluster-node PING # Cluster-aware connection ``` ## Detailed Reference Files | File | Content | When to read | |------|---------|-------------| | `references/connection-and-options.md` | Full connection options, CLI flags, SSL/TLS, environment variables, interactive mode features (completion, history, preferences), RESP protocol versions | Configuring connections, setting up TLS, customizing CLI behavior | | `references/data-query-commands.md` | Core data type commands: Strings, Hashes, Lists, Sets, Sorted Sets, Streams, Bitmaps, HyperLogLog, Geospatial, plus Key Operations, Database Operations, and Transactions | Looking up core command syntax, understanding command options and return values | | `references/module-data-types.md` | Module data types: JSON (RedisJSON), Vector Sets (Redis 8.0+), Bloom Filter, Cuckoo Filter, Top-K, Count-Min Sketch, T-Digest, TimeSeries (TS.*), Full-Text Search / RediSearch (FT.*) — with full command syntax and behavioral notes | Working with Redis module data types, similarity search, probabilistic data structures, time series data, full-text search | | `references/key-management.md` | SCAN family details (SCAN/SSCAN/HSCAN/ZSCAN), big keys analysis (--bigkeys, --memkeys, --keystats), key expiration (EXPIRE, TTL, PERSIST), key space patterns, mass insertion | Scanning databases, analyzing key distribution, managing key lifecycles | | `references/inspection-and-monitoring.md` | INFO sections, MONITOR, --stat mode, latency tools (--latency, --latency-history, --latency-dist, --intrinsic-latency), RDB backup, replica mode, LRU simulation | Monitoring Redis instances, debugging performance, creating backups | | `references/advanced-features.md` | Lua scripting (--eval, --ldb), Pub/Sub mode, pipe mode, CSV/JSON output, string quoting and escaping, get input from stdin, remote RDB transfer, Cluster management (--cluster subcommands, cluster commands) | Running scripts, subscribing to channels, bulk data operations, managing Redis Cluster | | `references/server-administration.md` | ACL management (ACL SETUSER/DELUSER/LIST/CAT/GENPASS), client management (CLIENT LIST/KILL/PAUSE/TRACKING), configuration (CONFIG GET/SET/REWRITE), replication acknowledgment (WAIT/WAITAOF), persistence (SAVE/BGSAVE/BGREWRITEAOF), replication setup (REPLICAOF), server lifecycle (SHUTDOWN/FAILOVER) | Managing users and permissions, controlling client connections, runtime configuration, ensuring write durability, persistence management, replication setup | ## Common Workflows ### Explore an Unknown Database ```bash # Step 1: Basic stats redis-cli INFO keyspace redis-cli DBSIZE # Step 2: Find big keys and memory usage redis-cli --bigkeys redis-cli --memkeys # Step 3: Sample keys and inspect types redis-cli --scan | head -20 redis-cli TYPE redis-cli TTL # Step 4: Read data based on type redis-cli HGETALL redis-cli LRANGE 0 -1 redis-cli ZRANGE 0 -1 WITHSCORES ``` ### Monitor in Real Time ```bash # Live server stats redis-cli --stat -i 2 # Watch memory specifically redis-cli -r -1 -i 5 INFO memory | grep used_memory_human # Monitor all commands (caution: high overhead) redis-cli MONITOR # Continuous latency redis-cli --latency-history -i 5 ``` ### Query Specific Key Patterns ```bash # Count keys by pattern redis-cli --scan --pattern 'session:*' | wc -l # Find and inspect hash keys redis-cli --scan --pattern 'user:*' | while read key; do echo "=== $key ===" redis-cli HGETALL "$key" done # Check TTL of matching keys redis-cli --scan --pattern 'cache:*' | while read key; do redis-cli TTL "$key" done ``` ## External References - [Redis CLI Documentation](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/tools/cli/) - [Redis Commands](https://redis.io/commands/) - [Redis Data Types](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/data-types/) - [Redis Protocol Specification](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/reference/protocol-spec/) - [Redis Mass Insertion](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/clients/patterns/bulk-loading/) - [Redis Lua Debugger](https://redis.io/docs/latest/develop/programmability/lua-debugging/) ## Limitations - Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream source and local project context. - Verify commands, generated code, dependencies, credentials, and external service behavior before applying changes. - Do not treat examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.