SADD and SREM for membership in Redis - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the Redis command SADD do?

The SADD command adds one or more members to a set stored at a key. If the members are already in the set, they are ignored.

beginner

What happens if you use SREM on a member that is not in the set?

If the member is not in the set, SREM does nothing and returns 0, meaning no members were removed.

intermediate

How can you check if a member exists in a Redis set?

Use the SISMEMBER command. It returns 1 if the member exists in the set, otherwise 0.

beginner

Can SADD add multiple members at once? How?

Yes, SADD can add multiple members by listing them all after the key, separated by spaces.

intermediate

What is the return value of SADD?

SADD returns the number of members that were actually added to the set, excluding those already present.

What does the Redis command SREM myset member1 do?

A Adds 'member1' to the set 'myset'

B Deletes the entire set 'myset'

C Checks if 'member1' is in 'myset'

D Removes 'member1' from the set 'myset' if it exists

SREM removes specified members from a set if they exist.

If you run SADD myset a b c and 'a' and 'b' are already in 'myset', what does it return?

A 0

B 3

C 1

D 2

SADD returns the count of new members added. Only 'c' is new here.

Which command checks if a member is in a Redis set?

A SISMEMBER

B SREM

C SADD

D SMEMBERS

SISMEMBER returns 1 if the member exists, 0 otherwise.

What does SREM myset x y return if only 'x' is in 'myset'?

A 2

B 1

C 0

D Error

SREM returns the number of members removed. Only 'x' was removed.

Can SADD add duplicate members to a set?

A No, duplicates are ignored

B Yes, duplicates are added

C Only if you use a special flag

D It depends on the Redis version

Sets do not allow duplicates; SADD ignores members already present.

Explain how SADD and SREM work for managing membership in Redis sets.

Think about adding and removing friends from a group.

Describe how you would check if a member exists in a Redis set and then remove it if present.

First check, then remove if found.

Practice

1. What does the Redis command SADD myset member1 do?

easy

A. Adds 'member1' to the set 'myset' if it is not already present.

B. Removes 'member1' from the set 'myset'.

C. Returns all members of the set 'myset'.

D. Deletes the set 'myset' entirely.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the SADD command

   SADD adds one or more unique members to a Redis set.

2. Step 2: Apply to the example

   Using SADD with 'myset' and 'member1' adds 'member1' if not already in 'myset'.

3. Final Answer:

   Adds 'member1' to the set 'myset' if it is not already present. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SADD adds unique members [OK]

Hint: SADD adds unique items; SREM removes them [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing SADD with SREM
• Thinking SADD deletes sets
• Assuming SADD returns all members

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to remove 'member2' from a Redis set named 'myset'?

easy

A. REMOVE myset member2

B. SADD myset member2

C. SREM myset member2

D. DEL myset member2

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the command to remove members

   SREM is the Redis command used to remove members from a set.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   The correct syntax is SREM followed by the set name and the member to remove.

3. Final Answer:

   SREM myset member2 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   SREM removes members correctly [OK]

Hint: Use SREM to remove members, not DEL or REMOVE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SADD instead of SREM to remove
• Using DEL which deletes keys, not members
• Using non-existent REMOVE command

3. Given the following Redis commands executed in order:
SADD fruits apple banana orange
SREM fruits banana
What will the command SMEMBERS fruits return?

medium

A. apple, orange

B. banana, orange

C. apple, banana, orange

D. apple, banana

Solution

1. Step 1: Add members to the set 'fruits'

   SADD adds 'apple', 'banana', and 'orange' to the set 'fruits'.

2. Step 2: Remove 'banana' from the set

   SREM removes 'banana' from 'fruits', leaving 'apple' and 'orange'.

3. Step 3: Retrieve members with SMEMBERS

   SMEMBERS returns all current members: 'apple' and 'orange'.

4. Final Answer:

   apple, orange -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Removed banana, so only apple and orange remain [OK]

Hint: SREM removes members; SMEMBERS shows current set [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming removed members still appear
• Confusing SREM with DEL
• Expecting order in SMEMBERS output

4. You run the command SREM myset memberX but get no error and the member still appears in SMEMBERS myset. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. SREM command syntax is incorrect.

B. Redis server is down.

C. 'myset' is not a set but a string key.

D. 'memberX' was never in 'myset' to begin with.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SREM behavior when member absent

   SREM does not error if the member is not in the set; it simply does nothing.

2. Step 2: Check if member exists in the set

   If 'memberX' still appears in SMEMBERS output, it means it was never removed or was never absent.

3. Step 3: Consider other options

   Syntax errors cause errors; wrong key type causes errors; server down causes no response.

4. Final Answer:

   'memberX' was never in 'myset' to begin with. -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   SREM silently ignores missing members [OK]

Hint: SREM ignores missing members without error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting error if member not present
• Confusing key type errors with SREM behavior
• Assuming server down causes silent no-op

5. You want to maintain a Redis set 'online_users' that tracks currently logged-in users. Which sequence of commands correctly updates the set when user 'alice' logs in and then logs out?

hard

A. SREM online_users aliceSADD online_users alice

B. SADD online_users aliceSREM online_users alice

C. DEL online_users aliceSADD online_users alice

D. SADD online_users aliceDEL online_users alice

Solution

1. Step 1: Add user on login

   Use SADD to add 'alice' to 'online_users' when she logs in.

2. Step 2: Remove user on logout

   Use SREM to remove 'alice' from 'online_users' when she logs out.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   DEL deletes the entire set, which is not desired for single user updates.

4. Final Answer:

   SADD online_users alice
   SREM online_users alice -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Add with SADD, remove with SREM for membership [OK]

Hint: Add with SADD, remove with SREM; avoid DEL for single members [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using DEL which deletes whole set
• Removing before adding user
• Confusing SADD and SREM order