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DiceDB

EXPIRETIME

The EXPIRETIME command in DiceDB is used to retrieve the absolute Unix timestamp (in seconds) at which a given key will expire. This command is particularly useful for understanding the exact expiration time of a key, which can help in debugging and managing key lifetimes.

Syntax

Terminal window
EXPIRETIME key

Parameters

ParameterDescriptionTypeRequired
keyThe name of the key whose expiration time is to be retrievedStringYes

Return Values

ConditionReturn Value
The key exists and has an expiration timeUnix timestamp (in seconds)
The key exists but has no expiration time-1
The key does not exist-2

Behaviour

  • DiceDB checks if the specified key exists in the database
  • If the key exists and has an associated expiration time, DiceDB returns the absolute Unix timestamp (in seconds)
  • If the key exists without an expiration time, the command returns -1
  • If the key doesn’t exist, the command returns -2

Errors

  1. Wrong number of arguments:
    • Error Message: (error) ERROR wrong number of arguments for 'expiretime' command
    • Occurs when the command is called with an incorrect number of arguments

Example Usage

Key with Expiration Time

Terminal window
127.0.0.1:7379> SET mykey "Hello"
OK
127.0.0.1:7379> EXPIRE mykey 60
(integer) 1
127.0.0.1:7379> EXPIRETIME mykey
(integer) 1728548993

In this example, the key mykey is set with a value “Hello” and an expiration time of 60 seconds. The EXPIRETIME command returns the Unix timestamp at which mykey will expire.

Key without Expiration Time

Terminal window
127.0.0.1:7379> SET mykey "Hello"
OK
127.0.0.1:7379> EXPIRETIME mykey
(integer) -1

In this example, the key mykey is set with a value “Hello” but no expiration time is set. The EXPIRETIME command returns -1 indicating that the key does not have an associated expiration time.

Non-Existent Key

Terminal window
127.0.0.1:7379> EXPIRETIME nonExistentKey
(integer) -2

In this example, the key nonExistentKey does not exist in the database. The EXPIRETIME command returns -2 indicating that the key does not exist.

Alternatives

  • Use TTL to get relative expiration times
  • Use PTTL to get relative expiration times in milliseconds