Basic Redis Implementation in C

Overview

This project is a basic implementation of Redis, developed to deepen understanding of systems programming, network communication, and socket programming. It features core elements like a simple in-memory key-value store, command parsing, client handling with multiplexing, and a graceful shutdown mechanism. The project includes a server component and a client component to communicate with the server, resembling the structure of Redis commands like SET, GET, and DEL.

Features

• Key-Value Store: Set, get, and delete key-value pairs in an in-memory store.
• Multiplexing: Efficiently handle multiple client connections using the select() system call.
• Command Parsing: Supports basic Redis commands such as SET, GET, and DEL.
• Graceful Shutdown: A special NUKE command to gracefully shut down the server.
• User-Friendly Prompt: Displays a prompt for client interactions similar to the Redis CLI.

---

Folder Structure

basic-redis-implementation/
├── include/
│   ├── client_handler.h
│   ├── key_value_store.h
│   └── server.h
├── src/
│   ├── client_handler.c
│   ├── key_value_store.c
│   ├── main.c
│   └── server.c
├── build/
│   ├── main.o
│   ├── key_value_store.o
│   ├── client_handler.o
│   └── server.o
├── Makefile
├── README.md
├── .gitignore
└── LICENSE

Explanation of Folder Structure

1. include/: Contains header files for the server, key-value store, and client handler.
2. src/: Contains the source code files for the main program, key-value store functionality, server logic, and client handler logic.
3. build/: Contains the compiled object files.
4. Makefile: Defines how the project is compiled and linked.
5. README.md: This file, containing the documentation for the project.
6. .gitignore: Specifies files to ignore in Git.
7. LICENSE: The license for this project, if applicable.

---

Detailed Flow of Operations

1. Server Setup

• The server starts by binding to a specified port and IP address.
• Listens for incoming connections from clients.
• Uses select() for handling multiple clients.

2. Client Connection

• Clients connect by specifying the server's IP and port.
• Communication is established through sockets.

3. Handling Commands

• Commands like SET, GET, DEL, and NUKE are parsed.
• Key-value operations are performed accordingly.

4. Key-Value Store

• SET: Stores a key-value pair in memory.
• GET: Retrieves the value associated with a key.
• DEL: Deletes a key-value pair.

5. Graceful Shutdown

• The NUKE command shuts down the server safely.

6. Multiplexing

• The server uses select() to efficiently manage multiple clients.

---

Detailed File Descriptions

1. main.c

#include "server.h"

int main() {
    start_server();  // Starts the server
    return 0;
}

2. server.c

#include "server.h"

void start_server() {
    // Initialize server, bind socket, listen, and handle clients using select().
}

3. client_handler.c

#include "client_handler.h"

void handle_client(int client_socket) {
    // Parse the command and call functions from key_value_store.c
}

4. key_value_store.c

#include "key_value_store.h"

void set_key_value(char *key, char *value) {
    // Store key-value pair in memory
}

char *get_value(char *key) {
    // Retrieve value for the given key
}

void delete_key(char *key) {
    // Delete the key-value pair
}

---

Use Case Flow

1. Start the Server

./server

2. Connect a Client

./client

3. Interact with the Server

SET key value
GET key
DEL key
NUKE

4. Graceful Shutdown

• The NUKE command shuts down the server.

---

How to Build and Run

Prerequisites

• GCC compiler
• Make (for easy builds)

Steps to Build

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository_url>
   cd basic-redis-implementation

2. Run make to build the project:

   make

3. Run the server:

   ./server

4. Run the client in another terminal:

   ./client

5. Use commands to interact (SET, GET, DEL, NUKE).

---

Socials

X - https://x.com/ritikpaltech/

Licensing

This project is licensed under the MIT License.