XRANGE and XREVRANGE in Redis - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the XRANGE command do in Redis Streams?

XRANGE returns a range of entries from a Redis Stream in ascending order by entry ID, between a specified start and end ID.

beginner

How does XREVRANGE differ from XRANGE?

XREVRANGE returns entries from a Redis Stream in descending order by entry ID, between a specified end and start ID.

beginner

What is the format of the IDs used in XRANGE and XREVRANGE commands?

IDs are strings in the format <millisecondsTime>-<sequenceNumber>, for example, '1526985058136-0'.

intermediate

How can you limit the number of entries returned by XRANGE or XREVRANGE?

You can use the COUNT option followed by a number to limit how many entries are returned.

intermediate

What happens if you use '-' and '+' as start and end IDs in XRANGE?

'-' means the smallest ID (start of stream), '+' means the largest ID (end of stream), so XRANGE - + returns all entries in ascending order.

Which command returns Redis Stream entries in descending order?

A XRANGE

B XREAD

C XREVRANGE

D XADD

XREVRANGE returns entries in descending order by ID.

What does the COUNT option do in XRANGE or XREVRANGE?

A Limits the number of entries returned

B Specifies the end ID

C Specifies the start ID

D Deletes entries

COUNT limits how many entries the command returns.

What ID range does XRANGE - + cover?

A From the largest to smallest ID

B From the smallest to largest ID

C Only entries with ID '-' or '+'

D No entries

'-' is smallest ID, '+' is largest ID, so it covers the full stream in ascending order.

Which of these is a valid Redis Stream entry ID?

A 1526985058136-0

B abc-123

C 2023-04-01

D ID_001

Redis Stream IDs are numeric timestamps plus sequence numbers separated by a dash.

If you want entries from newest to oldest, which command do you use?

A XDEL

B XRANGE

C XREAD

D XREVRANGE

XREVRANGE returns entries in reverse order, from newest to oldest.

Explain how XRANGE and XREVRANGE commands work in Redis Streams and when you might use each.

Think about reading messages in order or reverse order.

Describe how to limit the number of entries returned by XRANGE or XREVRANGE and why this might be useful.

Consider performance and data size.

Practice

1. What does the Redis command XRANGE do when used on a stream?

easy

A. Adds new entries to the stream.

B. Reads stream entries from newest to oldest within a specified range.

C. Deletes entries from the stream within a specified range.

D. Reads stream entries from oldest to newest within a specified range.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand XRANGE purpose

   XRANGE is used to read entries from a Redis stream in order from the oldest to the newest.

2. Step 2: Compare with other commands

   XREVRANGE reads in reverse order, and other commands like XADD add entries, so XRANGE is for reading oldest to newest.

3. Final Answer:

   Reads stream entries from oldest to newest within a specified range. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   XRANGE = oldest to newest read [OK]

Hint: XRANGE always reads forward (oldest to newest) [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing XRANGE with XREVRANGE order
• Thinking XRANGE adds or deletes entries
• Assuming XRANGE reads newest first

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to read the last 5 entries from a Redis stream using XREVRANGE?

easy

A. XRANGE mystream + - COUNT 5

B. XREVRANGE mystream + - COUNT 5

C. XREVRANGE mystream - + COUNT 5

D. XREVRANGE mystream 0 - COUNT 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand XREVRANGE syntax

   XREVRANGE reads from the newest entry (+) to the oldest (-). To get last 5 entries, use range '+' to '-' with COUNT 5.

2. Step 2: Check options

   XREVRANGE mystream + - COUNT 5 uses correct order '+' to '-' and COUNT 5. XREVRANGE mystream - + COUNT 5 reverses range, XRANGE mystream + - COUNT 5 uses XRANGE, and XREVRANGE mystream 0 - COUNT 5 uses invalid start ID.

3. Final Answer:

   XREVRANGE mystream + - COUNT 5 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   XREVRANGE newest to oldest with COUNT [OK]

Hint: XREVRANGE uses '+' then '-' for newest to oldest [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping '+' and '-' in range
• Using XRANGE instead of XREVRANGE
• Incorrect start or end IDs

3. Given a Redis stream mystream with entries:
1609459200000-0: {"name":"Alice"}
1609459260000-0: {"name":"Bob"}
1609459320000-0: {"name":"Carol"}
What will be the result of XRANGE mystream 1609459200000-0 1609459260000-0?

medium

A. [["1609459320000-0", {"name":"Carol"}]]

B. [["1609459260000-0", {"name":"Bob"}], ["1609459200000-0", {"name":"Alice"}]]

C. [["1609459200000-0", {"name":"Alice"}], ["1609459260000-0", {"name":"Bob"}]]

D. Empty list

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand XRANGE with ID range

   XRANGE returns entries from start ID to end ID in order from oldest to newest.

2. Step 2: Identify matching entries

   Entries with IDs 1609459200000-0 and 1609459260000-0 fall within the range, so both are returned in order.

3. Final Answer:

   [["1609459200000-0", {"name":"Alice"}], ["1609459260000-0", {"name":"Bob"}]] -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   XRANGE returns oldest to newest in range [OK]

Hint: XRANGE returns entries in ascending ID order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting reverse order output
• Including entries outside the range
• Confusing XRANGE with XREVRANGE

4. You run the command XREVRANGE mystream - + COUNT 3 on a stream with more than 3 entries but get an empty list. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The range start and end IDs are reversed; XREVRANGE expects '+' then '-'.

B. COUNT cannot be used with XREVRANGE.

C. The stream key 'mystream' does not exist.

D. XREVRANGE requires numeric IDs only.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check XREVRANGE range order

   XREVRANGE reads from newest to oldest, so the start ID must be '+' and end ID '-'. Using '-' then '+' reverses the order and results in an empty list.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   COUNT is valid with XREVRANGE, a missing key returns empty list (but stream exists with >3 entries), and special IDs like -/+ are valid.

3. Final Answer:

   The range start and end IDs are reversed; XREVRANGE expects '+' then '-'. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   XREVRANGE range must be '+' to '-' [OK]

Hint: XREVRANGE range must start with '+' and end with '-' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping start and end IDs in XREVRANGE
• Assuming COUNT is invalid
• Confusing the empty result with missing key

5. You want to retrieve the 3 newest entries from a stream mystream but only those with IDs greater than 1609459200000-0. Which command achieves this correctly?

hard

A. XREVRANGE mystream + 1609459200000-0 COUNT 3

B. XRANGE mystream 1609459200000-0 + COUNT 3

C. XREVRANGE mystream 1609459200000-0 + COUNT 3

D. XRANGE mystream + 1609459200000-0 COUNT 3

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the requirement

   We want the 3 newest entries with IDs greater than 1609459200000-0, so we read backwards from newest (+) down to that ID.

2. Step 2: Choose correct command and range

   XREVRANGE reads newest to oldest, so range '+' to '1609459200000-0' with COUNT 3 gets newest entries above that ID.

3. Step 3: Eliminate wrong options

   XRANGE reads oldest to newest, so XRANGE mystream 1609459200000-0 + COUNT 3 and D read forward. XREVRANGE mystream 1609459200000-0 + COUNT 3 reverses range order for XREVRANGE, causing error.

4. Final Answer:

   XREVRANGE mystream + 1609459200000-0 COUNT 3 -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Newest entries above ID = XREVRANGE + to ID [OK]

Hint: Use XREVRANGE + to ID for newest entries above ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using XRANGE instead of XREVRANGE for newest entries
• Reversing range IDs in XREVRANGE
• Omitting COUNT to limit results