5 ms·

Presentation: Redis, The Hacker's Database

43 points by zeynel1 16y ago

btipling 16y ago
I really am liking Redis, and they've expanded beyond just snapshots for persistent storage. You can now append data, and there a different options for both when you snapshot or append (a time, for each set, etc).
smokestack 16y ago
The video is up on GoogleTechTalks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BS3UVSLX-I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BS3UVSLX-I
akavlie 16y ago
I just started using MongoDB in a Python project; it shares a lot of the advantages (vs. SQL) mentioned in this presentation -- there's a natural mapping between the BSON in MongoDB and Python dicts. What are the pros & cons of Redis compared to MongoDB?
- necubi 16y ago
  The cool thing about redis is that it supports a bunch of different data structures: (ordered) sets, arrays, hashes, queues and more. There are a lot of db operations that are very natural with such support that are harder to force into the basic key/value paradigm exported by MongoDB. Also, redis is really simple to use which makes it useful for many cases where a full database might otherwise be overkill. For example, I've used it for storing results from experiments for further analysis. It's easier than a flat-file and much more performant.
- pacoverdi 16y ago
  You might be interested in this thread: (Cassandra vs MongoDB vs CouchDB vs Redis vs Riak vs HBase comparison) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2052852 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2052852
tedjdziuba 16y ago
Shenanigans. The author says that MySQL/Tokyo Tyrant don't work because of "death by I/O". Right, well, if your data set fits in memory, which I assume it does because you're relying on Redis, and the Redis VM feature is ghastly, then your problem isn't with "I/O", it's with MySQL not doing the right thing. Buy some SSD drives, try out Postgres, but if you bet your business on something like Redis, you deserve whatever you get.
- storborg 16y ago
  "you deserve what you get" Are you just referring to the potential pitfalls of using a non-relational backing store? Or is there something specific wrong with Redis?
- antihero 16y ago
  What is the advantage of Redis over something like memcached + a RDBMS?
  - Charuru 16y ago
    Write speed.
    - Andys 16y ago
      Its been noted before, but I like to keep in mind that PostgreSQL is pretty damn fast if you turn off write sync.
      - antihero 16y ago
        Are there any guides for using PostgreSQL in a scaling environement? Things like: Configuration for optimum performance, distributing loads/clustering, replication etc. I'm using it for a few projects that I hope could draw a lot of users and I want to get the most out of my tiny Linode VPS.
- SwellJoe 16y ago
  I'm always suspicious when I see something that is known to be a limitation of a tool is held up as the reason it's better than all other tools, including those that don't have that same limitation. And, as I understand it, redis is specifically designed to work with data that fits in memory, which is definitely a limitation that will prevent its use in a lot of places. It strikes me that redis has some cool concepts...but you can't just wave your arms around and say that because redis is a memory-based database it solves I/O and performance problems of databases that normally operate in larger than memory deployments. If redis falls apart when memory can't contain the entire data set, that's a limitation, not a feature. Since I know Tokyo Tyrant (and its successor or sibling or whatever, Kyoto Tycoon) are blisteringly fast in memory only workloads using key-value datasets, I'm highly suspicious of claims that redis is naturally and obviously faster (or something...I can't tell if this is a claim of speed, or architectural superiority because redis somehow solves I/O in a different way, I can't tell from the slides what is claimed, really). Personally, I'd like to see some more meat to the argument that redis is superior, or at least some clarity about when and why redis is superior. It's obviously not going to replace MySQL for my CMS or OpenLDAP for my directory services, but it might have a place in other types of deployments. I couldn't figure out what Plurk is, so I'm not sure I understand what it was developed for. (I'm old, though...Plurks purpose might be obvious to someone not afflicted with my particular malady.)
dizz 16y ago
Another excellent redis preso - http://simonwillison.net/static/2010/redis-tutorial/ http://simonwillison.net/static/2010/redis-tutorial/

43 points by zeynel1 16y ago

I really am liking Redis, and they've expanded beyond just snapshots for persistent storage. You can now append data, and there a different options for both when you snapshot or append (a time, for each set, etc).

smokestack 16y ago

The video is up on GoogleTechTalks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BS3UVSLX-I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BS3UVSLX-I

akavlie 16y ago

I just started using MongoDB in a Python project; it shares a lot of the advantages (vs. SQL) mentioned in this presentation -- there's a natural mapping between the BSON in MongoDB and Python dicts. What are the pros & cons of Redis compared to MongoDB?

necubi 16y ago
The cool thing about redis is that it supports a bunch of different data structures: (ordered) sets, arrays, hashes, queues and more. There are a lot of db operations that are very natural with such support that are harder to force into the basic key/value paradigm exported by MongoDB. Also, redis is really simple to use which makes it useful for many cases where a full database might otherwise be overkill. For example, I've used it for storing results from experiments for further analysis. It's easier than a flat-file and much more performant.
pacoverdi 16y ago
You might be interested in this thread: (Cassandra vs MongoDB vs CouchDB vs Redis vs Riak vs HBase comparison) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2052852 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2052852

tedjdziuba 16y ago

Shenanigans. The author says that MySQL/Tokyo Tyrant don't work because of "death by I/O". Right, well, if your data set fits in memory, which I assume it does because you're relying on Redis, and the Redis VM feature is ghastly, then your problem isn't with "I/O", it's with MySQL not doing the right thing. Buy some SSD drives, try out Postgres, but if you bet your business on something like Redis, you deserve whatever you get.

storborg 16y ago
"you deserve what you get" Are you just referring to the potential pitfalls of using a non-relational backing store? Or is there something specific wrong with Redis?
antihero 16y ago
What is the advantage of Redis over something like memcached + a RDBMS?
- Charuru 16y ago
  Write speed.
  - Andys 16y ago
    Its been noted before, but I like to keep in mind that PostgreSQL is pretty damn fast if you turn off write sync.
    - antihero 16y ago
      Are there any guides for using PostgreSQL in a scaling environement? Things like: Configuration for optimum performance, distributing loads/clustering, replication etc. I'm using it for a few projects that I hope could draw a lot of users and I want to get the most out of my tiny Linode VPS.
SwellJoe 16y ago
I'm always suspicious when I see something that is known to be a limitation of a tool is held up as the reason it's better than all other tools, including those that don't have that same limitation. And, as I understand it, redis is specifically designed to work with data that fits in memory, which is definitely a limitation that will prevent its use in a lot of places. It strikes me that redis has some cool concepts...but you can't just wave your arms around and say that because redis is a memory-based database it solves I/O and performance problems of databases that normally operate in larger than memory deployments. If redis falls apart when memory can't contain the entire data set, that's a limitation, not a feature. Since I know Tokyo Tyrant (and its successor or sibling or whatever, Kyoto Tycoon) are blisteringly fast in memory only workloads using key-value datasets, I'm highly suspicious of claims that redis is naturally and obviously faster (or something...I can't tell if this is a claim of speed, or architectural superiority because redis somehow solves I/O in a different way, I can't tell from the slides what is claimed, really). Personally, I'd like to see some more meat to the argument that redis is superior, or at least some clarity about when and why redis is superior. It's obviously not going to replace MySQL for my CMS or OpenLDAP for my directory services, but it might have a place in other types of deployments. I couldn't figure out what Plurk is, so I'm not sure I understand what it was developed for. (I'm old, though...Plurks purpose might be obvious to someone not afflicted with my particular malady.)

dizz 16y ago

Another excellent redis preso - http://simonwillison.net/static/2010/redis-tutorial/ http://simonwillison.net/static/2010/redis-tutorial/