Redis RDB to JSON Converter

A lightweight, Python-based Redis RDB parser that converts Redis dump.rdb files to JSON format. Perfect for migrating Redis data, backup analysis, or debugging Redis databases. Supports RDB version 12 (Redis 7.x) with full parsing of strings, lists, sets, sorted sets (ZSET), hashes, streams, and more. SEO-optimized for developers searching for "Redis RDB to JSON converter" or "parse Redis RDB file".

🚀 Quick Start

Transform your Redis RDB dump into searchable JSON in seconds:

# Without Redis
pip install -r requirements.txt  # Optional: for LZF decompression
python rdb_parser.py dump.rdb output.json --pretty --simple

# With Redis Server - make sure you have backup.rdb file
docker-compose up -d
python3 export_from_redis.py output.json

Output example (simplified JSON):

{
  "keys": {
    "user:123": "John Doe",
    "cart:456": ["item1", "item2"],
    "scores": [{"member": "alice", "score": 95.5}]
  }
}

🌟 Key Features

• Full RDB Parsing: Handles Redis RDB version 12 (Redis 7.x) including legacy formats like ziplists, quicklists, and listpacks.
• Data Types Supported:
  • Strings (with LZF compression support)
  • Lists (ziplist, quicklist)
  • Sets (intset, listpack)
  • Sorted Sets (ZSET, ziplist/listpack encoded)
  • Hashes (ziplist, listpack)
  • Streams (simplified parsing)
• Metadata Extraction: Captures expiry times, idle/frequency counters, DB selection, and AUX fields.
• Flexible Output:
  • Simple mode: Raw values only.
  • Full mode: Includes type, expiry, and timestamps.
• Error-Resilient: Skips invalid entries, handles binary data gracefully, and logs warnings.
• SEO-Friendly: Optimized for searches like "convert Redis RDB to JSON", "Redis backup parser Python", "RDB dump analyzer".
• Lightweight: No heavy dependencies (optional python-lzf for compression).

📦 Installation

1. Clone the Repo:

   git clone https://github.com/aero25x/redis-rdb-convert.git
   cd redis-rdb-convert

2. Install Dependencies (Python 3.7+ required):

   pip install python-lzf  # Optional: For LZF decompression of strings

3.1. Run the Parser Offline:

python rdb_parser.py /path/to/dump.rdb [output.json] [--pretty] [--simple]

3.2. Run the Parser with Redis Server:

docker-compose up -d
python3 export_from_redis.py output.json

📖 Usage Examples

Basic Conversion

Convert a full RDB dump to pretty-printed JSON:

python rdb_parser.py backup.rdb --pretty

Output: Prints JSON to stdout with full metadata (e.g., expiry dates in ISO format).

Simple Values Only

Extract just key-value pairs (no metadata):

python rdb_parser.py dump.rdb output.json --simple

Advanced: Parse Specific DB

The parser auto-detects DB changes via SELECTDB opcodes. For multi-DB dumps, all data is consolidated under the last DB (customize in code if needed).

Programmatic Use

from rdb_parser import RDBParser

parser = RDBParser('dump.rdb', simple_format=True)
result = parser.parse()
print(json.dumps(result['keys'], indent=2))

🔍 Supported RDB Structures

RDB Type	Encoding	Description	Example Output
String	Raw/LZF/Int	Basic key-value	"value"
List	Ziplist/Quicklist	Ordered array	["item1", "item2"]
Set	Intset/Listpack	Unique members	["a", "b"]
ZSET	Ziplist/Listpack	Member-score pairs	[{"member": "alice", "score": 95.5}]
Hash	Ziplist/Listpack	Field-value map	{"field1": "val1"}
Stream	Listpacks	Entries (simplified)	"<stream with N elements>"

Note: Binary data is hex-encoded; large strings (>100MB) are skipped for safety.

⚠️ Limitations & Known Issues

• Compression: LZF requires python-lzf; otherwise, compressed strings show as placeholders.
• Streams: Basic support—full consumer groups not parsed.
• Very Large Files: Memory-intensive for GB-scale RDBs; process in chunks if needed.
• Older Versions: Optimized for RDB v12; test with v5-v11 for compatibility.
• No Modules: Skips Redis Modules (TYPE_MODULE).

For issues like "RDB parse error" or "ziplist decoding failed", check stderr logs or open an issue.

🤝 Contributing

Love this Redis RDB converter? Help make it better!

1. Fork the repo.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature).
3. Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature').
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature).
5. Open a Pull Request.

Guidelines: Add tests for new encodings, update parse_ziplist for edge cases. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

📄 License

This Redis RDB to JSON parser is MIT-licensed. See LICENSE for details.

📊 Related Tools

• rdbtools: C-based alternative.
• redis-dump-go: Go implementation.
• Searching for "Redis RDB recovery" or "migrate Redis to JSON"? This tool fits perfectly!

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Keywords: Redis RDB parser, RDB to JSON, Redis dump converter, parse Redis backup, Redis 7 RDB, ziplist decoder, listpack parser.

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