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DEL

Removes the specified keys from the Redis database.

Syntax​

DEL key [key ...]

Parameters​

  • key: One or more keys to be deleted. Each key is specified separately.

Details​

  • Available since: 1.0.0
  • Time complexity: O(N), where N is the number of keys to be removed. If the keys do not exist, the time complexity is O(1).
  • ACL categories: @write

The DEL command removes the specified keys from the Redis database. If a key does not exist, it is ignored. The command can accept multiple keys in a single call, and it will return the number of keys that were removed.

Examples​

Removing a Single Key​

To delete a single key:

DEL mykey

This command will remove the key mykey from the database. If mykey does not exist, the command will simply return 0.

Removing Multiple Keys​

To delete multiple keys:

DEL key1 key2 key3

This command will remove key1, key2, and key3 from the database. The command will return the number of keys that were actually removed. If some of the keys did not exist, they will be ignored.

Checking Key Deletion​

To verify if a key is deleted, you can use:

EXISTS mykey

After executing DEL, EXISTS mykey should return 0 if mykey was successfully removed.

RESP2/RESP3 Reply​

  • Integer reply: The number of keys that were removed.

Example Reply​

If two keys were removed:

(integer) 2

This indicates that two of the specified keys were successfully deleted.

Notes​

  • The DEL command is an atomic operation, meaning that all specified keys will be removed in a single step.
  • Use DEL with caution, as deleting keys is irreversible. Ensure that you are not inadvertently removing important data.
  • For removing keys with expiration, consider using the EXPIRE command instead.