#147 - Introduction to Key Value Stores and Redis

This week, Chris and Martin look at Key-Value stores and in particular, Redis, with Kyle Davis, Head of Developer Advocacy at Redis (formerly Redis Labs). Key Value stores are at first glance a lightweight way to store structured data. As it turns out, the implementation of Redis includes significantly more features and functionality as well as multiple complex data types.

Redis runs in-memory and is typically used accelerate traditional databases or store state for web-based applications. The ability to store and retrieve data from memory enables fast response times for features like shopping carts or tracking gaming activity.

One interesting aspect of this conversation is how it highlights the transfer of managing data and state from an application into shared infrastructure. This is something micro-services can use to their advantage by simplifying programming and reducing complexity.

You can try Redis out online by visiting the Redis website.

Elapsed time: 00:35:06

Timeline

00:00:00 – Intros
00:01:35 – What is a Key-Value (KV) Store?
00:02:10 – VSAM KSDS – mainframe did KV stores first!
00:03:04 – Key – descriptor – Value – the value (obviously)
00:04:00 – Redis is natively in memory with persistence to disk
00:05:59 – What are the use cases for KV stores?
00:09:00 – What data types can be stored in Redis?
00:10:50 – KV stores allows complex data structures to be abstracted
00:12:50 – Redis works well with micro-services
00:14:20 – Who manages KV store platforms?
00:16:00 – What is the standard Redis deployment model?
00:18:34 – How do enterprise and open source versions differ?
00:21:39 – SCM could vastly improve KV stores
00:24:07 – Access to persistent memory will be different in public cloud
00:26:20 – What is the programming model for accessing KV stores?
00:29:49 – Redis allows data to be automatically expired and deleted
00:34:20 – Wrap Up

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