How to Use PSUBSCRIBE in Redis for Pattern-Based Pub/Sub

Use the PSUBSCRIBE command in Redis to subscribe to channels matching a pattern. It listens to all channels that fit the pattern and receives messages published to them, enabling flexible message handling.

Syntax

The PSUBSCRIBE command subscribes the client to channels matching given patterns. Each pattern can include wildcards like * to match multiple channels.

• PSUBSCRIBE <pattern> [<pattern> ...]: Subscribe to one or more channel patterns.
• Patterns support * as a wildcard for any characters.
• Once subscribed, the client receives messages from all matching channels.

redis

PSUBSCRIBE pattern1 pattern2 ...

Example

This example shows how to subscribe to all channels starting with news. using PSUBSCRIBE. The client will receive messages from news.sports, news.weather, etc.

redis

redis-cli
> PSUBSCRIBE news.*
Reading messages... (press Ctrl-C to quit)
1) "psubscribe"
2) "news.*"
3) (integer) 1

# In another terminal:
redis-cli
> PUBLISH news.sports "Sports update"
(integer) 1

# Back to subscriber terminal:
1) "pmessage"
2) "news.*"
3) "news.sports"
4) "Sports update"

Output

1) "psubscribe"
2) "news.*"
3) (integer) 1

1) "pmessage"
2) "news.*"
3) "news.sports"
4) "Sports update"

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using PSUBSCRIBE include:

• Trying to use PSUBSCRIBE in a pipeline or transaction, which is not supported.
• Not handling the subscription messages properly, which include subscription confirmations.
• Confusing SUBSCRIBE (exact channels) with PSUBSCRIBE (pattern matching).
• Expecting PSUBSCRIBE to return immediately; it blocks and listens for messages.

redis

Wrong usage example:
redis-cli
> MULTI
> PSUBSCRIBE news.*
> EXEC

Right usage:
redis-cli
> PSUBSCRIBE news.*

Quick Reference

Command	Description
PSUBSCRIBE	Subscribe to channels matching the pattern
PUNSUBSCRIBE [pattern]	Unsubscribe from pattern subscriptions
PUBLISH	Send message to a channel
SUBSCRIBE	Subscribe to exact channel names

Key Takeaways

Use PSUBSCRIBE to listen to multiple channels matching a pattern with wildcards.

PSUBSCRIBE blocks the client and delivers messages from all matching channels.

Do not use PSUBSCRIBE inside transactions or pipelines.

Handle subscription confirmation messages to manage your subscriptions properly.

Use PUNSUBSCRIBE to stop listening to pattern subscriptions.