How would you handle serialization and versioning for values stored in Redis?

Serialize and version cached Redis values safely

Explains cached value serialization, schema versioning, deploy compatibility, and safe handling of old payloads.

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I would serialize a stable DTO or read model, not an arbitrary runtime object. The cached value should have a known shape, and the app should tolerate old or missing fields during deployments. A simple approach is to include a version in the key, such as product:v2:{id}, so a new release can read and write a new shape without deserializing old payloads.

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JSON or binary serialization, schema compatibility, versioned keys, deployment safety, and deserialization failure behavior.

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Why this question matters
A cache value is still a contract. When deployments change object shape, old cached payloads can break requests or quietly return wrong data.
I would serialize a stable DTO or read model, not an arbitrary runtime object. The cached value should have a known shape, and the app should tolerate old or missing fields during deployments. A simple approach is to include a version in the key, such as product:v2:{id}, so a new release can read and write a new shape without deserializing old payloads.
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I would choose serialization based on interoperability and operational needs. JSON is easy to inspect and debug, while binary formats can be smaller or faster but less transparent. I would avoid serializing EF entities, lazy-loaded graphs, or objects with behavior. If deserialization fails, I would treat it like a cache miss, reload from the source, and replace the bad value rather than failing the whole API when safe.

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Serializing domain entities or EF navigation graphs directly.
Changing cached shape without versioning or tolerant readers.
Failing the API on a recoverable cache deserialization error.
Choosing opaque serialization with no debugging plan.

How would you handle serialization and versioning for values stored in Redis?

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