> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://upstash.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# LMOVE

> Move element between lists.

Use `LMOVE` to atomically take an element from one end of a list and push it onto one end of another list, returning the element.

The two directions are chosen independently: `LEFT RIGHT` takes from the head of the source and appends to the tail of the destination, which preserves order when transferring between queues, while `LEFT LEFT` behaves like moving between stacks. If the source is empty nothing happens and the reply is null. Source and destination may be the same key, in which case the list is rotated.

Because the element is never outside a list, `LMOVE` is the building block for reliable queues: a worker moves an item into a processing list, does the work, and removes it from there, so a crash leaves the item recoverable instead of lost. It replaces the deprecated [`RPOPLPUSH`](/docs/redis/commands/list/rpoplpush), and [`BLMOVE`](/docs/redis/commands/list/blmove) is the blocking form.

## Syntax

```redis theme={"system"}
LMOVE <source> <destination> (LEFT | RIGHT) (LEFT | RIGHT)
```

## Arguments

| Argument          | Required | Repeatable | Description                                                                                    |
| ----------------- | -------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `<source>`        | Yes      | No         | Redis key used as source.                                                                      |
| `<destination>`   | Yes      | No         | Redis key used as destination.                                                                 |
| `(LEFT \| RIGHT)` | Yes      | No         | Which end of the source list the element is taken from: `LEFT` (head) or `RIGHT` (tail).       |
| `(LEFT \| RIGHT)` | Yes      | No         | Which end of the destination list the element is pushed onto: `LEFT` (head) or `RIGHT` (tail). |

## Response

The reply reports the result of the operation. Error replies have the same shape in RESP2 and RESP3 and are surfaced as exceptions by the SDKs below.

| Protocol | Reply       |
| -------- | ----------- |
| RESP2    | Bulk string |
| RESP3    | Bulk string |

<Note>
  Client libraries often decode bulk strings, maps, sets, and numeric strings into language-native values. The table describes the Redis wire reply.
</Note>

## Examples

TCP examples use the TLS `REDIS_URL` from the Upstash console. REST examples use `UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL` and `UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN`.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Redis CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash theme={"system"}
    LMOVE source-key destination-key LEFT LEFT
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="@upstash/redis" icon="node-js" iconType="brands">
    ```ts theme={"system"}
    import { Redis } from "@upstash/redis";

    const redis = Redis.fromEnv();

    await redis.rpush("source", "a", "b", "c");
    const element = await redis.lmove("source", "destination", "left", "left");
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="upstash_redis" icon="python" iconType="brands">
    ```python theme={"system"}
    from upstash_redis import Redis

    redis = Redis.from_env()
    result = redis.lmove("source-key", "destination-key", "LEFT", "LEFT")
    print(result)
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ioredis" icon="node-js" iconType="brands">
    ```ts theme={"system"}
    import Redis from "ioredis";

    const redis = new Redis(process.env.REDIS_URL!);
    const result = await redis.lmove("source-key", "destination-key", "LEFT", "LEFT");
    console.log(result);
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="node-redis" icon="node-js" iconType="brands">
    ```ts theme={"system"}
    import { createClient } from "redis";

    const client = await createClient({ url: process.env.REDIS_URL })
      .on("error", console.error)
      .connect();
    const result = await client.lMove("source-key", "destination-key", "LEFT", "LEFT");
    console.log(result);
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="redis-py" icon="python" iconType="brands">
    ```python theme={"system"}
    import os
    import redis

    client = redis.from_url(os.environ["REDIS_URL"])
    result = client.lmove("source-key", "destination-key", "LEFT", "LEFT")
    print(result)
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="go-redis" icon="golang" iconType="brands">
    ```go theme={"system"}
    package main

    import (
        "context"
        "fmt"
        "os"

        "github.com/redis/go-redis/v9"
    )

    func main() {
        opts, err := redis.ParseURL(os.Getenv("REDIS_URL"))
        if err != nil {
            panic(err)
        }
        client := redis.NewClient(opts)
        result, err := client.LMove(context.Background(), "source-key", "destination-key", "LEFT", "LEFT").Result()
        if err != nil {
            panic(err)
        }
        fmt.Println(result)
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="jedis" icon="java" iconType="brands">
    ```java theme={"system"}
    import java.net.URI;

    import redis.clients.jedis.Jedis;

    try (Jedis jedis = new Jedis(new URI(System.getenv("REDIS_URL")))) {
      Object result = jedis.lmove("source-key", "destination-key", redis.clients.jedis.args.ListDirection.LEFT, redis.clients.jedis.args.ListDirection.LEFT);
      System.out.println(result);
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="redis-rs" icon="rust" iconType="brands">
    ```rust theme={"system"}
    use redis::TypedCommands;

    fn main() -> redis::RedisResult<()> {
        let url = std::env::var("REDIS_URL").expect("REDIS_URL is not set");
        let client = redis::Client::open(url)?;
        let mut connection = client.get_connection()?;

        let result = connection.lmove("source-key", "destination-key", redis::Direction::Left, redis::Direction::Left)?;
        println!("{result:?}");
        Ok(())
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>


## Related topics

- [LMOVE](/docs/redis/sdks/py/commands/list/lmove.md)
- [RPOPLPUSH](/docs/redis/commands/list/rpoplpush.md)
- [Redis Queue: From FIFO Lists to a Job Queue](/docs/redis/tutorials/redis_queue.md)
- [BLMOVE](/docs/redis/commands/list/blmove.md)