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MemoryDB is the simplest database adapter, storing conversation history in memory. It’s perfect for development, testing, and stateless bots.
All data is lost when the bot restarts. Use MemoryDB only for development or when persistence is not required.

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Installation

MemoryDB is included in the core @builderbot/bot package - no additional installation needed. 
npm install @builderbot/bot

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Basic Usage

import { createBot, createFlow, createProvider } from '@builderbot/bot'
import { MemoryDB as Database } from '@builderbot/bot'
import { BaileysProvider as Provider } from '@builderbot/provider-baileys'

const main = async () => {
  const adapterDB = new Database()
  
  await createBot({
    flow: createFlow([]),
    provider: createProvider(Provider),
    database: adapterDB
  })
}

main()

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How It Works

MemoryDB stores conversation history in a simple array:
packages/bot/src/db/index.ts
class MemoryDB {
  public listHistory: any[] = []

  async getPrevByNumber(from: string): Promise<any> {
    const history = this.listHistory
      .slice()
      .reverse()
      .filter((i) => !!i.keyword)
    return history.find((a) => a.from === from)
  }

  async save(ctx: any): Promise<void> {
    this.listHistory.push(ctx)
  }
}

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Features

Zero configuration required
No external dependencies
Fast read/write operations
Perfect for testing flows

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Limitations

No persistence - data lost on restart
Limited by available RAM
Not suitable for production
Cannot scale across multiple servers

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When to Use MemoryDB

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Good Use Cases

  • Local development: Quick iteration without database setup
  • Unit testing: Clean state for each test run
  • Proof of concepts: Validate ideas before adding infrastructure
  • Stateless bots: When you don’t need to remember user context

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When NOT to Use

  • Production deployments
  • Multi-server setups
  • When conversation history is important
  • High-traffic applications

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Migration to Persistent Storage

When you’re ready to move to production, switching to a persistent database is easy: 
import { MemoryDB as Database } from '@builderbot/bot'

const adapterDB = new Database()

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TypeScript Support

Use MemoryDB with full type safety: 
import { addKeyword } from '@builderbot/bot'
import { MemoryDB } from '@builderbot/bot'
import { BaileysProvider } from '@builderbot/provider-baileys'

const welcomeFlow = addKeyword<BaileysProvider, MemoryDB>(['hello'])
  .addAnswer('Hi! How can I help you?')

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Debugging

Access the in-memory history for debugging: 
const adapterDB = new Database()

// Later in your code
console.log('Current history:', adapterDB.listHistory)
console.log('Total entries:', adapterDB.listHistory.length)

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Next Steps

JSON Database

Add simple file-based persistence

MongoDB

Scale with a production database

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