What is Buffer Memory?
Buffer memory is a straightforward memory implementation that stores a fixed number of the most recent interactions or observations in an agent system. It operates on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) principle, where new information is added to the buffer and the oldest information is removed when the buffer reaches its capacity limit. This creates a sliding window of recent context that the agent can access when making decisions.
The primary advantage of buffer memory is its simplicity and predictability. By maintaining a fixed-size buffer, the system can guarantee bounded memory usage and provide consistent access to recent context without complex management logic. This makes buffer memory particularly suitable for conversational agents that need to remember recent dialogue turns but don't require long-term historical context.
However, buffer memory has limitations for more complex use cases. It treats all buffered information equally regardless of importance, and valuable context can be lost when older items are evicted from the buffer. For applications requiring more sophisticated memory management, buffer memory is often combined with other memory types or extended with features like token counting (to manage LLM context windows) or summarization (to compress older context before it's discarded).