Rdbtools is a parser for Redis dump.rdb files that generates events similar to an XML SAX parser and operates with minimal memory overhead.
The tool solves the problem of inspecting, analyzing, and exporting Redis persistence files without running a live Redis instance. It parses RDB dumps using an event-driven approach, making it memory-efficient even for large datasets. The parser can extract data across all databases and key types, generate detailed memory consumption reports, convert dumps to JSON with configurable encoding options, and compare two dump files using standard diff tools.
Rdbtools suits operators and developers who need to audit Redis data offline, migrate between systems, or understand memory usage patterns without accessing a running server. It works well for one-time analysis tasks and integration into backup or monitoring pipelines. The tool handles binary data through multiple encoding strategies: UTF-8 parsing with escape sequences for non-ASCII characters, raw byte preservation, or Base64 encoding. Command-line filtering by key pattern, database number, and data type allows targeted extraction without processing entire dumps.
The project maintains a stable command-line interface with multiple output formats including JSON, key-value pairs, and Redis protocol. Development activity shows ongoing maintenance with bug fixes and feature refinements addressing edge cases in RDB parsing across different Redis versions and data types.
