> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs-v1.agno.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# In-Memory Storage

> A flexible, lightweight storage solution that keeps all session data in memory, with the option to hook it up to any custom persistent storage solution.

`InMemoryStorage` provides a flexible, lightweight storage solution that keeps all session data in memory, with the option to hook it up to any custom persistent storage solution.

## Summary

* **No setup or additional dependencies**: No installations or database setup required.
* **Custom storage options**: Use the built-in dictionary or provide your own for custom persistence.

### Use Cases

`InMemoryStorage` is ideal for:

* **Custom Storage Solutions**: When you need to integrate with a persistence layer that doesn't (yet) have first-party agno support (snowflake, AWS S3, etc).
* **Development and Testing**: Quick setup without external dependencies.
* **Temporary Sessions**: Short-lived applications where persistence isn't required.

### Important Notes

* **Data Persistence**: Session data is **not persistent** across program restarts unless you provide an external dictionary with your own persistence mechanism.
* **Memory Usage**: All session data is stored in RAM. For applications with many long sessions, monitor memory usage.

<Warning>
  Remember that data is lost when your application restarts unless you implement your own persistence mechanism using a custom dictionary.
</Warning>

## Usage

### Basic Agent with In-Memory Storage

Here's a simple example of using in-memory storage with an agent:

```python agent.py theme={null}
from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.models.openai import OpenAIChat
from agno.storage.in_memory import InMemoryStorage

agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIChat(id="gpt-4o-mini"),
    storage=InMemoryStorage(),
    add_history_to_messages=True,
)

# Run some conversations
agent.print_response("What is the capital of France?")
agent.print_response("What is its population?")
```

### Bring Your Own Dictionary (Custom Storage Integration)

The real power of `InMemoryStorage` comes from providing your own dictionary for custom storage mechanisms:

```python custom_persistence.py theme={null}
import json

import boto3
from agno.storage.in_memory import InMemoryStorage
from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.models.openai import OpenAIChat

# Example: Save and load sessions to/from S3
def save_sessions_to_s3(sessions_dict, bucket_name, key_name):
    """Save sessions dictionary to S3"""
    s3 = boto3.client('s3')
    s3.put_object(
        Bucket=bucket_name,
        Key=key_name,
        Body=json.dumps(sessions_dict, default=str)
    )

def load_sessions_from_s3(bucket_name, key_name):
    """Load sessions dictionary from S3"""
    s3 = boto3.client('s3')
    try:
        response = s3.get_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key=key_name)
        return json.loads(response['Body'].read())
    except:
        return {}  # Return empty dict if file doesn't exist

# Step 1: Create agent with external dictionary
my_sessions = {}
storage = InMemoryStorage(storage_dict=my_sessions)

agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIChat(id="gpt-4o-mini"),
    storage=storage,
    add_history_to_messages=True,
)

# Run some conversations
agent.print_response("What is the capital of France?")
agent.print_response("What is its population?")

print(f"Sessions in memory: {len(my_sessions)}")

# Step 2: Save sessions to S3
save_sessions_to_s3(my_sessions, "my-bucket", "agent-sessions.json")
print("Sessions saved to S3!")

# Step 3: Later, load sessions from S3 and use with new agent
loaded_sessions = load_sessions_from_s3("my-bucket", "agent-sessions.json")
new_storage = InMemoryStorage(storage_dict=loaded_sessions)

new_agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIChat(id="gpt-4o-mini"),
    storage=new_storage,
    session_id=agent.session_id,  # Use same session ID
    add_history_to_messages=True,
)

# This agent now has access to the previous conversation
new_agent.print_response("What was my first question?")
```

## Developer Resources

* View [Cookbook](https://github.com/agno-agi/agno/blob/main/cookbook/storage/in_memory_storage)