Get All Keys Starting With a Specific Prefix in Redis using Golang (Detailed Guide w/ Code Examples)

Use Case(s)

Redis is often used to store key-value pairs where keys may have a common prefix that denotes some logical grouping. For instance, you might store user-related data with keys like user:1:name, user:1:email, user:2:name, etc.

Sometimes you need to retrieve all keys starting with a specific prefix, such as user:1 in this case, to perform operations on related data.

Code Examples

Golang's go-redis client provides powerful commands to interact with Redis. The Keys command gets all keys matching a pattern.

package main

import (
	"github.com/go-redis/redis/v8"
	"context"
)

func main() {
	rdb := redis.NewClient(&redis.Options{
		Addr:     "localhost:6379",
		Password: "", // no password set
		DB:       0,  // use default DB
	})

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Get all keys starting with 'user:1'
	result, err := rdb.Keys(ctx, "user:1*").Result()

	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}

	for _, key := range result {
		fmt.Println(key)
	}
}

This code connects to a local Redis instance, and retrieves all keys starting with user:1. Please replace "user:1" with the actual prefix you are using.

Best Practices

• Avoid using the Keys command in production environments for large databases because it may degrade performance. Use Scan instead.
• Always handle errors returned from Redis commands.

Common Mistakes

• Overusing the Keys command in production which could lead to performance issues.
• Not handling potential errors when executing Redis commands.

FAQs

Q: Can I use this method to get keys using other patterns, not just prefixes? A: Yes, the pattern argument in the Keys can be any glob-style pattern supported by Redis.