EXPIRE

Syntax

EXPIRE key seconds

Description

The EXPIRE command sets a timeout (in seconds) on a key. Once the timeout expires, the key is automatically deleted. The timeout is set from the current time, so if you set a timeout of 60 seconds, the key will expire 60 seconds from now.

Arguments

• key (required): The name of the key to set expiration on.
• seconds (required): The timeout in seconds. Must be a positive integer.

Return Value

Returns an Integer:

• 1 if the timeout was set successfully
• 0 if the key doesn't exist

Examples

Setting Expiration

SET mykey "value"
EXPIRE mykey 60

Response:

OK
(integer) 1

Checking TTL

SET mykey "value"
EXPIRE mykey 3600
TTL mykey

Response:

OK
(integer) 1
(integer) 3600

Expiring Non-Existent Key

EXPIRE nonexistent 60

Response:

(integer) 0

Key Expires Automatically

SET mykey "value"
EXPIRE mykey 1
# Wait 1 second
GET mykey

Response:

OK
(integer) 1
(nil)

Notes

• The timeout is set from the current time
• Keys expire automatically - no manual cleanup needed
• Works with both string and list keys
• Returns 0 if the key doesn't exist
• The timeout is specified in seconds

Use Cases

• Session Management: Set expiration on session keys
• Cache Invalidation: Automatically expire cached data
• Temporary Data: Store data that should be automatically cleaned up
• Rate Limiting: Use with counters that should reset after a period

Related Commands

• TTL - Get the remaining time to live of a key
• PERSIST - Remove the expiration from a key
• SET - Set a key's value