Custom Codec

RedisME supports custom serialization/deserialization via external scripts, so you can view and edit non–UTF-8 or application-specific payloads.

Wire vs display

• STRING / Hash / List / Set / ZSet: IPC is always Base64 wire; the codec dropdown only controls display and does not re-fetch from Redis when changed.
• Stream / JSON: codec dropdown stays disabled.

Built-in JavaSerial / Pickle / PhpSerial:

• STRING: choose JavaSerial / Pickle / PhpSerial in the codec dropdown (or Auto).

• Hash / List / Set / ZSet: open the field editor; magic bytes auto-select when possible.

• JavaSerial: View JDK-serialized bytes as plain text (top-level String) or JSON (other objects). Same approach as RedisInsight (java-object-serialization), with extras for java.time, records, common collections, etc.

• Pickle: View Python pickle bytes (protocols 0–5) as plain text (top-level str) or JSON; common dict/list/set/bytes and objects with $class / $type are supported.

• PhpSerial: View PHP serialize() payloads as plain text (top-level string) or JSON; arrays, nested structures and O: class instances (shown with a $class name) are supported. Same library as Another Redis Desktop Manager (php-serialize). References (R:/r:) are not supported yet.

All are view-only. To write back, use the custom scripts below with a local java / python / php.

Entry and setup

1. Open the value detail view
2. Click the edit icon in the codec dropdown header to open the Custom Codec dialog
3. Add an entry (either way):
   • From Template: pick Python / Node / Java, export the script to disk, then name and command are filled in
   • Add: enter name and command manually
4. Fields:
   • Name — shown under the Custom group in the dropdown
   • Command — full executable command including the interpreter (see below)

Built-in templates already split out decode / encode; leave the protocol boilerplate alone and put your logic in those two methods (Hex sample by default).

Script protocol

The app appends two arguments after your command:

# Read: Redis raw bytes (wire base64) → editor text
{command} decode {wire_base64}

# Write: editor text → Redis raw bytes (wire base64)
{command} encode {editor_text_utf8_base64}

# When Base64 exceeds 8000 chars (avoids Windows command-line limits)
{command} decode --stdin    # read one line of Base64 from stdin
{command} encode --stdin

Direction	Arg 1	Arg 2	stdout
decode	decode	Base64 of raw Redis bytes	UTF-8 text (shown in the editor)
encode	encode	Base64 of editor text as UTF-8 bytes	Single line Base64 of raw Redis bytes
large payload	same	--stdin (one line of Base64 from stdin)	same

Notes:

• Arg 2 is a single-line standard Base64 string (no spaces); over 8000 chars it becomes --stdin — read one line from stdin (readline or equivalent)
• Small payloads still use sys.argv[2] (Python), args[1] (Java), or process.argv[3] (Node)
• On decode success, stdout is editable text; on encode success, stdout is a single Base64 line
• On failure, write to stderr and use a non-zero exit code; the app shows the full executed command in the error message
• Base64 in arg 2 is the wire format between the app and your script — not necessarily what you show in the editor (see the Hex sample below)

Command examples

python C:\path\to\codec.py
node /path/to/codec.js
java C:\path\to\Codec.java

stdout encoding

The app reads stdout as UTF-8. On Windows, Python scripts should call sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8') (see samples below).

Workflow

1. Configure and save your custom codec entry
2. Select it from the Custom group in the codec dropdown
3. The value area shows decoded text; edit and click Save
4. Use Test Decode / Test Encode in the dialog to verify your script:
   • Default wire Base64 sample is aGVsbG8= (bytes hello)
   • With the Hex samples below: Test Decode should show 68656c6c6f; for Test Encode, use editor sample 68656c6c6f (UTF-8 text) and expect aGVsbG8=

Scope and limits

• Default execution timeout is 5 seconds
• Base64 ≤ 8000 chars uses the command line; above that the app uses --stdin automatically (scripts must support it; see samples)

Sample: Python (Hex view/edit for binary)

Same as From Template → Python in the app. Raw Redis bytes are shown as lowercase hex in the editor; on save, hex is parsed back to bytes. For your own format, only change decode / encode.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
RedisME custom codec template
Leave the protocol boilerplate alone; only change decode / encode below.
"""
import sys
import base64
import binascii

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TODO: implement your codec (Hex sample below — use as-is or replace)
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

def decode(raw: bytes) -> str:
    """Redis raw bytes → editor text."""
    return binascii.hexlify(raw).decode('ascii')  # sample: lowercase hex


def encode(text: str) -> bytes:
    """Editor text → Redis raw bytes."""
    return binascii.unhexlify(text.strip())  # sample: parse hex


# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Protocol boilerplate — usually leave as-is
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

def main() -> None:
    # Windows pipes may default to GBK; RedisME reads stdout as UTF-8
    if hasattr(sys.stdout, 'reconfigure'):
        sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
        sys.stderr.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')

    if len(sys.argv) < 3:
        sys.exit('usage: codec.py <decode|encode> <base64|--stdin>')

    mode, arg = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
    b64 = sys.stdin.readline().strip() if arg == '--stdin' else arg
    raw = base64.b64decode(b64)

    try:
        if mode == 'decode':
            sys.stdout.write(decode(raw))
        elif mode == 'encode':
            sys.stdout.write(base64.b64encode(encode(raw.decode('utf-8'))).decode('ascii'))
        else:
            raise ValueError(f'unknown mode: {mode}')
    except Exception as e:
        print(e, file=sys.stderr)
        sys.exit(1)


if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Command example:

C:\path\to\python.exe C:\path\to\codec.py

Sample: Node.js (Hex view/edit for binary)

Same as From Template → Node in the app.

#!/usr/bin/env node
/**
 * RedisME custom codec template
 * Leave the protocol boilerplate alone; only change decode / encode below.
 */

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// TODO: implement your codec (Hex sample below — use as-is or replace)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

/** Redis raw bytes → editor text */
function decode(raw) {
  return raw.toString('hex') // sample: lowercase hex
}

/** Editor text → Redis raw bytes */
function encode(text) {
  return Buffer.from(text.trim(), 'hex') // sample: parse hex
}

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Protocol boilerplate — usually leave as-is
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

const mode = process.argv[2]
const arg = process.argv[3]

async function readB64() {
  if (arg !== '--stdin') {
    if (!mode || !arg) throw new Error('usage: codec.js <decode|encode> <base64|--stdin>')
    return arg
  }
  // App writes one line and does not close stdin — return on first newline (do not wait for EOF)
  let data = ''
  for await (const chunk of process.stdin) {
    data += chunk
    const nl = data.search(/\r?\n/)
    if (nl >= 0) return data.slice(0, nl).trim()
  }
  return data.trim()
}

async function main() {
  const raw = Buffer.from(await readB64(), 'base64')
  if (mode === 'decode') {
    process.stdout.write(decode(raw))
  } else if (mode === 'encode') {
    process.stdout.write(encode(raw.toString('utf8')).toString('base64'))
  } else {
    throw new Error(`unknown mode: ${mode}`)
  }
}

main()
  .then(() => process.exit(0)) // app does not close stdin after write; exit explicitly
  .catch(e => {
    process.stderr.write(String(e) + '\n')
    process.exit(1)
  })

Command example:

node C:\path\to\codec.js

Sample: Java (Hex view/edit for binary)

Same as From Template → Java in the app. Requires JDK 11+; run the single source file directly (no javac). Class and file names are Codec / Codec.java.

import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
import java.util.Base64;
import java.util.Scanner;

/**
 * RedisME custom codec template (JDK 11+: java Codec.java)
 * File must be named Codec.java; leave the protocol boilerplate alone,
 * only change decode / encode below.
 */
public class Codec {

    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    // TODO: implement your codec (Hex sample below — use as-is or replace)
    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    /** Redis raw bytes → editor text */
    private static String decode(byte[] raw) {
        return toHex(raw); // sample: lowercase hex
    }

    /** Editor text → Redis raw bytes */
    private static byte[] encode(String text) {
        return fromHex(text.trim()); // sample: parse hex
    }

    private static String toHex(byte[] bytes) {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(bytes.length * 2);
        for (byte b : bytes) sb.append(String.format("%02x", b));
        return sb.toString();
    }

    private static byte[] fromHex(String hex) {
        if (hex.length() % 2 != 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException("invalid hex length");
        byte[] out = new byte[hex.length() / 2];
        for (int i = 0; i < hex.length(); i += 2) {
            int hi = Character.digit(hex.charAt(i), 16);
            int lo = Character.digit(hex.charAt(i + 1), 16);
            if (hi < 0 || lo < 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException("invalid hex character");
            out[i / 2] = (byte) ((hi << 4) + lo);
        }
        return out;
    }

    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    // Protocol boilerplate — usually leave as-is
    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        if (args.length < 2) {
            System.err.println("usage: Codec <decode|encode> <base64|--stdin>");
            System.exit(1);
        }
        String mode = args[0];
        String b64 = "--stdin".equals(args[1])
            ? new Scanner(System.in).nextLine().trim()
            : args[1];
        try {
            byte[] raw = Base64.getDecoder().decode(b64);
            if ("decode".equals(mode)) {
                System.out.print(decode(raw));
            } else if ("encode".equals(mode)) {
                System.out.print(Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(
                    encode(new String(raw, StandardCharsets.UTF_8))));
            } else {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("unknown mode: " + mode);
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            System.err.println(e.getMessage());
            System.exit(1);
        }
    }
}

Command example (use the absolute path to the source file — do not use java Codec.java; if the working directory is wrong, the JVM may print GBK errors to stdout and the app reports invalid utf-8 sequence):

java C:\Users\he_pe\redis\custom\Codec.java

If java is not on PATH, use the full JDK path, for example:

"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin\java.exe" C:\Users\he_pe\redis\custom\Codec.java

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause
invalid utf-8 sequence	Script stdout is not UTF-8 (e.g. Chinese output on Windows); for Java: often a relative Codec.java path — file not found, JVM prints GBK to stdout
python / java not found	Interpreter not on PATH — use the full path
Empty decode	Script did not write to stdout on decode, or exit code is non-zero
encode hex errors	Editor text has non-hex characters or odd length

The error message includes the executed command line for copy/paste into a terminal.