What is Redis and how does it work?
Short for Remote Dictionary Server, Redis remains as one of the fastest serves that provides open-source solutions that can be implemented as queues, caches, databases, o message bokes. When began, the developer, Salvatore Sanfilippo was attempting to enhance his startup company in Italy. Today, supplies fast times for responding, which enables uses to make requests every second in ode to support the IoT, the financial sector, Ad-Tech, Gaming, and Healthcare. It is among the best choices to use for pub/sub apps, leaderboards, caching, gaming, session management, geospatial, real-time analytics, ide-hailing, steaming media, and messaging and chat.
The data associated with it can be found in the memory, as compared to storing on an SSD o a disk. With eliminating the disk, the memory is able to avoid any delays associated with seek time thus allowing an access to be done in less than a second. Features of it involve cluster support, high availability, transactions, versatile data structures, geospatial, on-disk persistence, and Scripting.
Top Rated Redis Books of May 2025
What is Redis used for?
With one group the possibilities are endless with what it can do, below are just four examples of the workloads.
- A Main Database – It is a lot faster than the average NoSQL database. In fact, it is able to integrate many different features for customers who use it. It is also more than storage for values and keys. It also supplies various methods and models that help to acquire data that is available. The entire company application is also able to make use of it.
- Have other data sources cached using Redis – When you use it as a cache it is able to collect similar data and keep it all together. It will then be able to supply nice responses. The data will also be stored in a RAM memory so that you can retrieve you data fast.
- Implement Session Storages – By implementing session storages, you need a response that will be beyond fast. Not only for data writing but for also information reading. This is a great option because of it having a native storage type that mimics what storage types ae needed.
- Redis can Decouple – With the availability to publish and stream, it can easily decouple. The services ae then able to read and write using Redis or it can also subscribe, send messages, and publish.
Is Redis faster than database like MYSQL or others?
A question that many want to have answered involves the speed of Redis. The thing with Redis is that it is able to write and read its operations fasten than a second. When comparing it to RDBMS, Redis is unable to save data using binary. With RDBMS, the operations for both white and read ae not up to pa.
Other than that, it is safe to say that it is fast. In fact, it can be as high as 30% faster as long as the data is able to fit into a machine’s memory. As soon as the data amount increases, then it begins to fail.
Redis Speed Compared to MySQL
When comparing to MySQL, it is faster due to its ability to execute close to 115000 SETs every second and at least 80000 GETs. When making this comparison with MySQL, it is important to note that the caching was the only feature utilized.
Speed Compared to MongoDB
When testing a scenario of key/value, Redis was faster when inputting data with a primary key. Where Redis is not fast is when a lot of data will not go into a RAM. Plus, it is not even designed for that function. If you need to have data rolled out, then going with MongoDB will be the better option.
Why Redis is so fast?
There are many reasons that make it fast. Below, we’ve listed the top 4 reasons why.
- It is memory based and because of that the requests made ae based on the memory, which makes the entire operation super-fast. With the memory holding the data, like in HashMap, the amount of time to conduct an operation and search is at 0
- It has a simple structure for data and operation. The structure within the system is designed with that in mind.
- Employing single threads allow you to prevent problems from occurring which result from race and switching. Plus, no multi-use exists for a CPU. There are also no concerns for any locks. No operation for lock release, and no concerns for a deadlock to occur.
- A different model exists underneath. This means the protocol for communication and implementation ae also not the same. The VM that it uses is the same one it builds. When a call is made to the system, then a little bit of time will be wasted.
