How to Use ZSCORE in Redis: Syntax and Examples

Use the ZSCORE command in Redis to get the score of a specific member in a sorted set. The syntax is ZSCORE key member, which returns the score as a string or null if the member does not exist.

Syntax

The ZSCORE command retrieves the score associated with a member in a sorted set.

• key: The name of the sorted set.
• member: The member whose score you want to find.

If the member exists, it returns the score as a string. If not, it returns null.

redis

ZSCORE key member

Example

This example shows how to add members with scores to a sorted set and then retrieve the score of a specific member using ZSCORE.

redis

127.0.0.1:6379> ZADD leaderboard 100 "Alice"
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:6379> ZADD leaderboard 200 "Bob"
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:6379> ZSCORE leaderboard "Alice"
"100"
127.0.0.1:6379> ZSCORE leaderboard "Charlie"
(nil)

Output

"100"
(nil)

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using ZSCORE include:

• Using the wrong key type (the key must be a sorted set).
• Requesting the score of a member that does not exist, which returns null.
• Confusing ZSCORE with commands that return ranges or multiple members.

Always check if the returned value is null before using the score.

redis

127.0.0.1:6379> ZSCORE myset "nonexistent"
(nil)

# Correct usage:
127.0.0.1:6379> ZADD myset 50 "member1"
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:6379> ZSCORE myset "member1"
"50"

Output

(nil)
(integer) 1
"50"

Quick Reference

Command	Description	Return Value
ZSCORE key member	Get the score of member in sorted set	Score as string or null if not found
ZADD key score member	Add member with score to sorted set	Number of elements added
ZRANGE key start stop WITHSCORES	Get members in range with scores	List of members and scores

Key Takeaways

ZSCORE returns the score of a member in a sorted set or null if the member is missing.

The key must be a sorted set; otherwise, ZSCORE will return an error.

Always check for null to handle missing members safely.

Use ZADD to add members before querying their scores with ZSCORE.

ZSCORE returns the score as a string, not a number.