Getting Number of Connections in Redis Using Python (Detailed Guide w/ Code Examples)

Use Case(s)

This operation is useful when monitoring performance and ensuring that applications are not exceeding connection limits, as well as for debugging purposes.

Code Examples

To get the number of connections to a Redis server using Python, we can use the info method from the redis-py client. This method returns a dictionary containing information and statistics about the server. The 'total_connections_received' field reports the total number of connections accepted by the server.

import redis
r = redis.Redis(host='localhost', port=6379, db=0)
info = r.info()
total_connections = info['total_connections_received']
print(total_connections)

In this example, we first create a connection to the Redis server using the Redis() function. Then we call r.info() method which returns a dictionary with various stats related to the Redis server. Finally, we extract the 'total_connections_received' value which represents the total number of connections accepted by the server.

Best Practices

When dealing with production databases, aim to minimize the frequency of making INFO command calls, as it could potentially impact the performance of your Redis server. Instead, consider using monitoring tools specifically designed for Redis like Redis Insight.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is to confuse total connections received with current connections. 'total_connections_received' is a cumulative metric since the Redis server started. If you want to know the current active connections, use the 'connected_clients' field instead.

FAQs

Q: Can I limit the number of connections to my Redis server? A: Yes, you can limit the number of simultaneous connections to the Redis server by configuring the maxclients directive in your redis.conf file.