upstash-redis-js

SKILL.md

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:

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

No credentials yet? If you're an agent that needs scratch Redis and the user hasn't provided a database, you can mint a temporary one with a single POST to https://upstash.com/start-redis (3-day TTL, no signup).

Skill Files Overview

Data Structures (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 (advanced-features/)

Complex operations and optimizations:

auto-pipeline.md - Automatic request batching, performance optimization

pipeline-and-transactions.md - Manual pipelines, MULTI/EXEC for atomic operations

scripting.md - Lua scripts, EVAL, EVALSHA for server-side logic

Patterns (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 (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

Search (search/)

Full-text search, filtering, and aggregation extension for Redis:

overview.md - Schema definition, field types, pitfalls, package overview

commands/querying.md - Query and count with filters, pagination, sorting, highlighting

commands/aggregating.md - Metric aggregations ($avg, $sum, $stats), bucket aggregations ($terms, $range, $histogram, $facet)

commands/index-management.md - Create, describe, drop indexes, waitIndexing

commands/aliases.md - Index aliases for zero-downtime reindexing

adapters.md - Using search with node-redis and ioredis via @upstash/search-redis and @upstash/search-ioredis

Migrations (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

Use environment variables for credentials, never hardcode

Leverage auto-serialization - pass native JavaScript types

Use TypeScript types for better type safety

Set appropriate TTLs to manage memory

Use pipelines for multiple operations

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.