Syntax error
Production Risk
Low. The server correctly rejects a malformed command.
This generic error indicates a command was sent that does not conform to the Redis protocol or a command's expected syntax. It's often caused by typos, unquoted strings with spaces, or malformed requests.
- 1A typo in a command name (e.g., 'GTE' instead of 'GET').
- 2A string argument containing spaces or special characters is not enclosed in quotes.
- 3Malformed command sent by a buggy client or manual telnet session.
A user tries to set a key with a value containing a space, but forgets to quote the value.
SET mykey hello world
expected output
(error) ERR syntax error
Fix 1
Correct the command syntax
WHEN Upon receiving the error
SET mykey "hello world"
Why this works
Ensuring all command names are correct and all string literals with spaces or special characters are properly quoted will resolve the error.
Fix 2
Use a Redis client library
WHEN Developing an application
redis.set("mykey", "hello world");Why this works
Client libraries handle the complexities of quoting and formatting, preventing most syntax errors automatically.
✕ Send binary or non-RESP formatted data to Redis
Redis expects commands formatted according to the RESP (REdis Serialization Protocol). Sending data in any other format will almost always result in a syntax error.
RESP protocol parser
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