redislock

library1.3.0jsnpmunverified

Node distributed locking using Redis with atomic Lua scripts. Current stable version 1.3.0. Low release cadence (last update years ago). Differentiator: uses SET key uuid PX timeout NX for acquire and Lua scripts for release/extend, avoiding race conditions without requiring dedicated Redis connections. Supports callbacks, promises (bluebird), and co. Compatible with Redis >= 2.6.12. Provides LockAcquisitionError, LockReleaseError, LockExtendError for error handling.

database

npm install redislock

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · REDISLOCK

redislock

databasejavascriptv1.3.0

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

redislock

✓ import redislock from 'redislock'

✗ const redislock = require('redislock')

CommonJS require works but TypeScript/ESM users should use default import.

createLock

✓ import { createLock } from 'redislock'

✗ const createLock = require('redislock').createLock

Named export available; both work in CommonJS, but ESM prefers named import.

LockAcquisitionError

✓ import { LockAcquisitionError } from 'redislock'

Error classes are exported and can be used with instanceof checks.

Creates a Redis lock with timeout, retries, and delay, acquires it, performs work, and releases it using async/await.

import redis from 'redis'; import redislock from 'redislock'; const client = redis.createClient(); const lock = redislock.createLock(client, { timeout: 20000, retries: 3, delay: 100 }); async function criticalSection() { try { await lock.acquire('app:feature:lock'); // locked - do work console.log('Lock acquired'); await lock.release(); console.log('Lock released'); } catch (err) { console.error(err); } finally { client.quit(); } } criticalSection();

Debug

Known issues

gotchaLock timeout must be longer than the expected critical section execution, otherwise the lock may expire prematurely.

fix

Set timeout sufficiently high to cover the longest expected operation under the lock.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaThe lock is not reentrant; a second acquire on the same key by the same client will fail unless released first.

fix

Design critical sections to not re-enter the same lock, or use a different pattern.

affects: >=1.0.0

deprecatedThe package has not been updated for years and depends on older node_redis. Consider using ioredis-based locking libraries.

fix

Evaluate alternatives like redlock or ioredis's built-in locking.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: The lock could not be acquired (LockAcquisitionError)

Maximum retries exhausted without acquiring the lock.

fix

Increase retries or delay, release other locks, or check Redis connectivity.

Error: The lock could not be released (LockReleaseError)

Redis command failed or lock key no longer exists (e.g., expired).

fix

Ensure the lock is still held and Redis is available; handle errors gracefully.

TypeError: client.set is not a function

Using a Redis client that doesn't have the set method, e.g., ioredis instead of node_redis.

fix

Use node_redis (redis) package for compatibility with redislock.

Upgrade

Version history

1.3.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

redisrequiredredislock requires a node_redis client instance to create locks

bluebirdoptionalUsed for promise support; included as own dependency, not external

Agent activity

6 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/danielstjules/redislock ↗

packageredislock ↗

homepagehttps://github.com/danielstjules/redislock ↗