# node-redis — Official Redis Client for Node.js

> High-performance Redis client for Node.js with TypeScript support, auto-pipelining, Lua scripting, and cluster/sentinel support.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# node-redis — Official Redis Client for Node.js

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install redis
```
```javascript
import { createClient } from 'redis';
const client = createClient();
await client.connect();
await client.set('key', 'value');
const value = await client.get('key');
console.log(value); // 'value'
await client.disconnect();
```

## Introduction
node-redis is the official Redis client for Node.js, maintained by Redis Ltd. Version 4+ provides a modern async/await API with full TypeScript type definitions, automatic command pipelining, and support for Redis modules like RediSearch, RedisJSON, and RedisTimeSeries. It connects to standalone Redis, Sentinel, and Cluster deployments.

## What node-redis Does
- Connects to Redis standalone, Sentinel, and Cluster topologies
- Executes all Redis commands via a fully typed async API
- Pipelines commands automatically to reduce round-trip latency
- Supports Pub/Sub, streams, transactions, and Lua scripting
- Integrates with Redis modules for JSON, search, time-series, and graph operations

## Architecture Overview
node-redis uses a single TCP connection per client (or a pool in cluster mode) and communicates via the RESP protocol. Commands are queued and flushed in batches using automatic pipelining, which groups multiple commands into a single network write. The client handles reconnection with configurable backoff, and in cluster mode it discovers the slot map and routes commands to the correct shard automatically.

## Setup & Configuration
- Install via `npm install redis` (includes TypeScript types)
- Connect with `createClient({ url: 'redis://localhost:6379' })`
- Enable auto-pipelining (on by default in v4+) for batched command execution
- For Sentinel, use `createClient({ sentinel: { ... } })` with master name and sentinels list
- For Cluster, use `createCluster({ rootNodes: [...] })` to connect to Redis Cluster

## Key Features
- Automatic pipelining batches commands for higher throughput
- Full TypeScript type definitions for all Redis commands
- Built-in support for Redis Cluster and Sentinel topologies
- Pub/Sub with dedicated subscriber connections
- Extensible module support for RediSearch, RedisJSON, and RedisTimeSeries

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **ioredis** — mature community client with similar features, node-redis is the official library maintained by Redis Ltd
- **redis-py** — official Python client, node-redis serves the same role for Node.js
- **Jedis** — synchronous Java client, node-redis is async-first for the Node.js event loop
- **Lettuce** — reactive Java client, node-redis uses async/await native to JavaScript

## FAQ
**Q: What changed between node-redis v3 and v4?**
A: v4 switched to async/await, added TypeScript types, introduced auto-pipelining, and added module support. The callback API was removed.

**Q: How does auto-pipelining work?**
A: Commands issued in the same event loop tick are batched into a single network write, reducing round trips without requiring explicit pipeline calls.

**Q: Can I use node-redis with Valkey or DragonflyDB?**
A: Yes. node-redis communicates via the standard RESP protocol, which Valkey and DragonflyDB implement.

**Q: How do I handle connection drops?**
A: node-redis reconnects automatically with exponential backoff. Listen to the `error` and `reconnecting` events for visibility.

## Sources
- https://github.com/redis/node-redis
- https://redis.io/docs/clients/nodejs/

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Author: AI Open Source