When dealing with Redis data persistence, the dump.rdb file is the default snapshot file created using Redis' RDB persistence mechanism. For Redis to automatically load this file during server startup, several conditions must be met:

# Example redis.conf configuration for RDB loading
dbfilename dump.rdb
dir /your/data/directory

First, check your redis.config file contains these critical directives:

grep -E "dbfilename|dir" redis.config

The output should show the correct path where your dump.rdb file resides. If either parameter is missing or incorrect, Redis won't load your data.

Several issues could prevent Redis from loading your dump.rdb file:

• File permissions issues (Redis process needs read access)
• Corrupted RDB file (check with redis-check-rdb utility)
• Mismatch between config-specified directory and actual file location
• Redis running in append-only mode (AOF takes precedence)

If you need to load a specific RDB file outside the configured directory:

# Method 1: Temporarily override config
redis-server ./redis.config --dbfilename custom.rdb --dir /path/to/file

# Method 2: Using redis-cli after server starts
redis-cli
> CONFIG SET dir "/new/path"
> CONFIG SET dbfilename "dump.rdb"
> DEBUG RELOAD

After starting Redis, verify your data loaded correctly:

redis-cli
> INFO keyspace
> DBSIZE
> SCAN 0 COUNT 100  # Sample some keys

For large datasets like your 1GB file:

• Increase memory limits in redis.config: maxmemory, maxmemory-policy
• Consider using Redis' BGSAVE instead of SAVE for creating snapshots
• Monitor loading progress with redis-cli INFO command

# Example configuration for large datasets
maxmemory 4gb
maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru

If data still doesn't load:

1. Check Redis logs for errors during startup
2. Validate RDB file integrity: redis-check-rdb /path/to/dump.rdb
3. Test with a smaller RDB file to isolate the issue
4. Ensure no AOF file (appendonly.aof) is taking precedence

When dealing with Redis persistence files, there are several critical factors to consider for successful data loading:


First, ensure your dump.rdb is in the correct directory with proper permissions:
# Check file location
ls -l /path/to/redis/directory/dump.rdb

# Verify permissions (Redis user needs read access)
chown redis:redis dump.rdb
chmod 644 dump.rdb

Your redis.conf must specify the working directory where RDB files are stored:
# In redis.conf
dir /var/lib/redis
dbfilename dump.rdb

The server won't automatically load data if these values don't match your actual file location.
When starting Redis with a custom config file:
# Stop any running Redis instances
redis-cli shutdown

# Start with config file
redis-server /path/to/redis.conf

Redis only loads the RDB file during initial startup. If the server was already running, you'll need to restart it.
If the standard approach fails, try these alternatives:
# Method 1: Use redis-check-rdb
redis-check-rdb --fix dump.rdb

# Method 2: Manual restore via redis-cli
redis-cli --pipe < dump.rdb

# Method 3: Convert to AOF format
redis-check-aof --fix appendonly.aof


Check Redis logs for errors: tail -f /var/log/redis/redis-server.log
Verify file integrity: sha1sum dump.rdb
Ensure sufficient memory: Redis needs 2x the RDB file size

For large (1GB+) RDB files:
# Configure memory settings in redis.conf
maxmemory 4GB
maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru

# Consider BGSAVE instead of shutdown
redis-cli BGSAVE