Redis: More Than Just a Cache

I only used Redis as a cache until I discovered it handles sessions, leaderboards, pub/sub, and rate limiting. It's a Swiss Army knife.

February 2, 2026

Codemapo

Computer Science·June 30, 2025

Normalization: Kill Duplicates

Foundation of DB Design. Splitting tables to prevent Anomalies. 1NF, 2NF, 3NF explained simply.

#CS#Database#Normalization

Computer Science·January 21, 2025

Von Neumann Architecture: The Design Principles of Modern Computers

Why is the CPU fast but the computer slow? I explore the revolutionary idea of the 80-year-old Von Neumann architecture and the fatal bottleneck it left behind.

#CS#Architecture#Von Neumann#Bottleneck

Von Neumann Architecture: The Design Principles of Modern Computers

Computer Science·January 14, 2026

AI Agents: How Autonomous AI Systems Actually Work

ChatGPT answers questions. AI Agents plan, use tools, and complete tasks autonomously. Understanding this difference changes how you build with AI.

#AI#Agent#LLM#Architecture

AI Agents: How Autonomous AI Systems Actually Work

·January 8, 2026

Designing a Payment System: The Weight of Code That Moves Money

Integrating a payment API is just the beginning. Idempotency, refund flows, and double-charge prevention make payment systems genuinely hard.

#System Design#Payment#Architecture#Idempotency

Designing a Payment System: The Weight of Code That Moves Money

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Summary: Redis Was a Toolbox

Using Redis only as a cache is like taking a Ferrari to the grocery store. Sure, it's fast, but the real performance shows on the circuit.

Key Takeaways:

Data structures are everything: Don't just use String—apply Hash, List, Set, Sorted Set where appropriate.
It's more than cache: Redis handles sessions, rankings, rate limiting, Pub/Sub, and more.
Memory is finite: Without TTL settings, you're doomed. Cost matters too.
Persistence is optional: RDB/AOF can protect data but aren't perfect. Important data should live in a database.
Managed is the answer: ElastiCache, Upstash, Vercel KV. Self-hosting wastes time.

Redis is a Swiss Army knife. It's a blade, scissors, and screwdriver. But knowing when to pull out which tool is what matters. Now I use Redis beyond caching as a core system design tool. Rankings with Sorted Set, sessions with Hash + TTL, rate limiting with sliding window. When used appropriately, Redis becomes magic.