Python - ChatCompletionAgent Lifetime

[vslepakov]

Hey folks,

In a web application / REST API is it fine to use a single instance of a ChatCompletionAgent to handle all requests or is it better to create a new instance on every request (overhead?)?

agent.get_response() is passed a new instance of ChatHistoryAgentThread on every invocation containing user specific messages, and the registered plugins simply call APIs and do not hold any state (besides e.g., HTTP Client that is reused).

The assumption here is that the agent and the underlying Kernel is thread safe and / or is stateless.

Thanks!

[moonbox3]

Hi, @vslepakov.

You're correct in noting that the ChatCompletionAgent is designed to be stateless and thread-safe. This design allows for flexibility in instantiation strategies based on your application's performance and resource considerations.

Some considerations:

• Reusing a single instance: if your agent's configuration, including instructions, plugins, and kernel services, remains constant across requests, maintaining a single instance can be efficient. This approach minimizes the overhead associated with repeatedly parsing instructions and initializing plugins.
• Creating new instances per request: given the agent's stateless nature, instantiating a new ChatCompletionAgent for each request is also viable. This method ensures isolation between requests, which can be beneficial in scenarios requiring strict separation of contexts.

Thoughts about thread safety and state management:

As you know, the ChatCompletionAgent itself does not maintain internal state between invocations. State management, such as maintaining conversation history, is handled externally via constructs like ChatHistoryAgentThread. By passing a new or existing thread instance to each get_response call, you can manage user-specific contexts effectively.

Thoughts on performance implications:

While the overhead of creating a new agent instance is relatively low, it is not negligible. If your application is sensitive to latency or operates under high load, reusing agent instances where appropriate can contribute to performance optimization.

Both strategies are valid and supported by the agent's design. The optimal choice depends on your specific application requirements, including performance targets, resource constraints, and the need for context isolation.

[vslepakov]

Hi @moonbox3 , thanks for this detailed answer, much appreciated!