Upstash Redis SDK – Complete Skills Guide

This directory contains comprehensive guides for using the @upstash/redis SDK. These skill files are designed to help developers and AI assistants understand and use the SDK effectively.

Installation

npm install @upstash/redis

Quick Start

Basic Initialization

import { Redis } from "@upstash/redis";

// Initialize with explicit credentials
const redis = new Redis({
  url: "UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL",
  token: "UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN",
});

// Or initialize from environment variables
const redis = Redis.fromEnv();

Environment Variables

Set these in your .env file:

UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL=https://your-redis.upstash.io
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN=your-token-here

Skill Files Overview

Data Structures (skills/data-structures/)

Redis data types with auto-serialization examples:

• strings.md – GET, SET, INCR, DECR, APPEND with automatic type handling
• hashes.md – HSET, HGET, HMGET with object serialization
• lists.md – LPUSH, RPUSH, LRANGE with array handling
• sets.md – SADD, SMEMBERS, set operations
• sorted-sets.md – ZADD, ZRANGE, ZRANK, leaderboard patterns
• json.md – JSON.SET, JSON.GET, JSONPath queries for nested objects
• streams.md – XADD, XREAD, XGROUP, consumer groups

Advanced Features (skills/advanced-features/)

Complex operations and optimizations:

• auto-pipeline.md – Automatic request batching, performance optimization
• pipeline-and-transactions.md – Manual pipelines, MULTI/EXEC, WATCH for atomic operations
• scripting.md – Lua scripts, EVAL, EVALSHA for server-side logic

Patterns (skills/patterns/)

Common use cases and architectural patterns:

• caching.md – Cache-aside, write-through, TTL strategies
• rate-limiting.md – Integration with @upstash/ratelimit package
• session-management.md – Session storage and user state management
• distributed-locks.md – Lock implementations, deadlock prevention
• leaderboard.md – Sorted set leaderboards, real-time rankings

Performance (skills/performance/)

Optimization techniques and best practices:

• batching-operations.md – MGET, MSET, batch operations
• pipeline-optimization.md – When to use pipelines, performance tips
• ttl-expiration.md – Key expiration strategies, memory management
• data-serialization.md – Deep dive into auto serialization, custom serializers, edge cases
• error-handling.md – Error types, retry strategies, timeout handling, debugging tips
• redis-replicas.md – Global database setup, read replicas, read-your-writes consistency

Migrations (skills/migrations/)

Migration guides from other libraries:

• from-ioredis.md – Migration from ioredis, key differences, serialization changes
• from-redis-node.md – Migration from node-redis, API differences

Common Mistakes (Especially for LLMs)

❌ Mistake 1: Treating Everything as Strings

// ❌ WRONG - Don't do this with @upstash/redis
await redis.set("count", "42"); // Stored as string "42"
const count = await redis.get("count");
const incremented = parseInt(count) + 1; // Manual parsing needed

// ✅ CORRECT - Let the SDK handle it
await redis.set("count", 42); // Stored as number
const count = await redis.get("count");
const incremented = count + 1; // Just use it

❌ Mistake 2: Manual JSON Serialization

// ❌ WRONG - Unnecessary with @upstash/redis
await redis.set("user", JSON.stringify({ name: "Alice" }));
const user = JSON.parse(await redis.get("user"));

// ✅ CORRECT - Automatic handling
await redis.set("user", { name: "Alice" });
const user = await redis.get("user");

Quick Command Reference

// Strings
await redis.set("key", "value");
await redis.get("key");
await redis.incr("counter");
await redis.decr("counter");

// Hashes
await redis.hset("user:1", { name: "Alice", age: 30 });
await redis.hget("user:1", "name");
await redis.hgetall("user:1");

// Lists
await redis.lpush("tasks", "task1", "task2");
await redis.rpush("tasks", "task3");
await redis.lrange("tasks", 0, -1);

// Sets
await redis.sadd("tags", "javascript", "redis");
await redis.smembers("tags");

// Sorted Sets
await redis.zadd("leaderboard", { score: 100, member: "player1" });
await redis.zrange("leaderboard", 0, -1);

// JSON
await redis.json.set("user:1", "$", { name: "Alice", address: { city: "NYC" } });
await redis.json.get("user:1");

// Expiration
await redis.setex("session", 3600, { userId: "123" });
await redis.expire("key", 60);
await redis.ttl("key");

Best Practices

1. Use environment variables for credentials, never hardcode
2. Leverage auto-serialization – pass native JavaScript types
3. Use TypeScript types for better type safety
4. Set appropriate TTLs to manage memory
5. Use pipelines for multiple operations
6. Namespace your keys (e.g., user:123, session:abc)

Resources

• Official Documentation
• GitHub Repository
• API Reference
• Examples

Getting Help

For detailed information on specific topics, refer to the individual skill files in the skills/ directory. Each file contains comprehensive examples, use cases, and best practices for its topic.