Question: Is Redis a document database?

Answer

No, Redis is not primarily classified as a document database. Redis (Remote Dictionary Server) is an open-source, in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache, and message broker. It supports various data structures such as strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets with range queries, bitmaps, hyperloglogs, geospatial indexes, and streams.

Document databases, on the other hand, are designed to store and query data as JSON-like documents. They allow developers to store complex data in a more natural way in comparison to the traditional row/column model. Examples of document databases include MongoDB and CouchDB.

However, Redis does offer some functionalities that could be utilized to manage document-like data through its hash data types and modules like RedisJSON. The RedisJSON module, for example, allows storing, updating, and fetching JSON values in Redis. Below is an example of how you can use Redis with the RedisJSON module to manipulate JSON documents:

# Assuming RedisJSON Module is installed and Redis server is running

# Set a JSON value
JSON.SET user:1 . '{\"name\":\"John\", \"age\": 30}'

# Get a JSON value
JSON.GET user:1

# Update a value within the JSON document
JSON.SET user:1 .name '\"Jane\"'

# Get a specific property from a JSON document
JSON.GET user:1 .name

Even though Redis can be extended to handle JSON documents, it's important to note that its primary design and strengths lie in high-performance key-value storage and its ability to support complex data structures efficiently.

In summary, while Redis can be adapted with modules like RedisJSON to work with JSON data, it is not inherently a document database.