LINDEX for position access in Redis

Introduction

LINDEX helps you get an item from a list by its position. It is like picking a book from a shelf by its place number.

You want to see the first or last item in a list.

You need to check a specific item in a list without removing it.

You want to quickly find an element at a known position.

You are debugging and want to peek at list contents.

You want to display a single list item in a user interface.

Syntax

Redis

LINDEX key index

Index starts at 0 for the first item.

Negative index counts from the end, -1 is the last item.

Examples

Gets the first item from the list named 'mylist'.

Redis

LINDEX mylist 0

Gets the last item from the list named 'mylist'.

Redis

LINDEX mylist -1

Gets the third item (index 2) from 'mylist'.

Redis

LINDEX mylist 2

Sample Program

First, we add three fruits to 'mylist'. Then we get the item at position 1 (second item).

Redis

RPUSH mylist apple banana cherry
LINDEX mylist 1

Important Notes

If the index is out of range, LINDEX returns nil (no value).

LINDEX does not remove the item; it only reads it.

Lists in Redis keep order, so index 0 is always the first pushed item.

Summary

LINDEX gets an item from a list by its position number.

Use 0 for the first item, -1 for the last item.

It is a safe way to peek at list contents without changing them.