Quickstart

RadishDB is a Redis-inspired in-memory key-value store written in C. This guide gets you up and running with a live instance and your first persisted data.

Docker (recommended)
Native build

Pull and run the container

Pull the official image and start RadishDB in server mode:

docker run -d \
  --name radishdb \
  -p 6379:6379 \
  -v radish-data:/app/aof \
  piee314/radishdb:latest

RadishDB binds to 0.0.0.0:6379 and begins accepting connections immediately.

All data is persisted to /app/aof/radish.aof inside the container. The named volume radish-data ensures your data survives container restarts and removals.

Connect with netcat

Open a connection to the running server:

nc localhost 6379

You are now in a raw TCP session. Type commands and press Enter — RadishDB replies on the same connection.

Run your first commands

Try a basic set, get, and TTL-aware write:

SET name radish
OK

GET name
radish

SET color red EX 10
OK

TTL color
7

COUNT
2

TTL returns the remaining seconds until expiry (as a plain integer). Once a key expires, GET returns (nil).

Verify persistence after restart

Restart the container and confirm your data was recovered from the AOF log:

docker restart radishdb

Reconnect and fetch the key you set earlier:

nc localhost 6379

GET name
radish

RadishDB replays aof/radish.aof at startup to reconstruct in-memory state. No manual recovery step is needed.

Clone and build

You need GCC 13+ and GNU Make on a POSIX system.

git clone https://github.com/pie-314/RadishDB.git
cd RadishDB
make

The radishdb binary is produced in the project root.

Create the AOF directory

RadishDB writes its append-only file to aof/radish.aof. Create the directory before the first run:

mkdir -p aof

If the aof/ directory does not exist, RadishDB cannot open the log file and will fail to start.

Start the server

Run in TCP server mode on port 6379:

./radishdb --server

Or launch the interactive REPL for local exploration:

./radishdb

Run your first commands

In either REPL mode or a nc localhost 6379 session:

SET name radish
OK

GET name
radish

SET color red EX 10
OK

TTL color
7

TTL returns the remaining seconds as a plain integer.

What to explore next

Docker Compose

Run RadishDB as a managed service with automatic restarts and named volumes.

Command reference

Full syntax for SET, GET, DEL, TTL, COUNT, BENCH, INFO, and more.

Persistence

Understand how the AOF log keeps your data safe across restarts.

Architecture

See how the engine, REPL, and TCP server fit together.

Get Started

Deployment

Core Concepts

Internals

What to explore next

Docker Compose

Command reference

Persistence

Architecture

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Deployment

Core Concepts

Internals

​What to explore next

Docker Compose

Command reference

Persistence

Architecture

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

What to explore next