diff --git a/src/database/redis.js b/src/database/redis.js
index 9eb3347163..212a2d5fa7 100644
--- a/src/database/redis.js
+++ b/src/database/redis.js
@@ -1,5 +1,82 @@
-var RDB = require('redis');
 
 
+(function(module) {
+	'use strict';
+	var RedisDB,
+		redis = require('redis'),
+		winston = require('winston'),
+		nconf = require('nconf'),
+		redis_socket_or_host = nconf.get('redis:host'),
+		utils = require('./../public/src/utils.js');
+
+	if (redis_socket_or_host && redis_socket_or_host.indexOf('/')>=0) {
+		/* If redis.host contains a path name character, use the unix dom sock connection. ie, /tmp/redis.sock */
+		RedisDB = redis.createClient(nconf.get('redis:host'));
+	} else {
+		/* Else, connect over tcp/ip */
+		RedisDB = redis.createClient(nconf.get('redis:port'), nconf.get('redis:host'));
+	}
+
+	if (nconf.get('redis:password')) {
+		RedisDB.auth(nconf.get('redis:password'));
+	}
+
+	var db = parseInt(nconf.get('redis:database'), 10);
+
+	if (db){
+		RedisDB.select(db, function(error){
+			if(error !== null){
+				winston.error("NodeBB could not connect to your Redis database. Redis returned the following error: " + error.message);
+				process.exit();
+			}
+		});
+	}
+
+	RedisDB.handle = function(error) {
+		if (error !== null) {
+			winston.err(error);
+			if (global.env !== 'production') {
+				throw new Error(error);
+			}
+		}
+	};
+
+
+	/*
+	 * A possibly more efficient way of doing multiple sismember calls
+	 */
+	RedisDB.sismembers = function(key, needles, callback) {
+		var tempkey = key + ':temp:' + utils.generateUUID();
+		RedisDB.sadd(tempkey, needles, function() {
+			RedisDB.sinter(key, tempkey, function(err, data) {
+				RedisDB.del(tempkey);
+				callback(err, data);
+			});
+		});
+	};
+
+	/*
+	 * gets fields of a hash as an object instead of an array
+	 */
+	RedisDB.hmgetObject = function(key, fields, callback) {
+		RedisDB.hmget(key, fields, function(err, data) {
+
+			if(err) {
+				return callback(err, null);
+			}
+
+			var returnData = {};
+
+			for (var i = 0, ii = fields.length; i < ii; ++i) {
+				returnData[fields[i]] = data[i];
+			}
+
+			callback(null, returnData);
+		});
+	};
+
+	module.exports = RedisDB;
+
+
+}(exports));
 
-(function()
\ No newline at end of file