Redis Connections

---
name: redis-connections
description: Redis client and connection guidance covering connection pooling, multiplexing, pipelining, client-side caching with RESP3, avoiding slow commands (KEYS, SMEMBERS, HGETALL), and tuning socket timeouts. Use when configuring a Redis client (redis-py, Jedis, Lettuce, NRedisStack), batching commands for throughput, eliminating per-request connection creation, iterating large keyspaces with SCAN, enabling client-side caching for read-heavy workloads, or setting connect and read timeouts.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Redis, Inc.
  version: "0.1.0"
---

# Redis Connections

Client-side guidance for talking to Redis efficiently: how to share connections, how to batch commands, which commands not to call in production, when to turn on client-side caching, and how to set timeouts that fail fast without breaking healthy traffic.

## When to apply

- Creating or reviewing a Redis client setup (redis-py, Jedis, Lettuce, go-redis, NRedisStack).
- Making many small Redis calls and wondering where the latency is going.
- Iterating large keyspaces, sets, hashes, or lists.
- Enabling client-side caching for hot keys.
- Tuning connect / read / write timeouts.

## 1. Pool or multiplex — never one connection per request

The single biggest mistake in Redis client code is opening a new TCP connection for every operation. Always either: