## How do I keep a model loaded in memory or make it unload immediately?
By default models are kept in memory for 5 minutes before being unloaded. This allows for quicker response times if you are making numerous requests to the LLM. You may, however, want to free up the memory before the 5 minutes have elapsed or keep the model loaded indefinitely. Use the `keep_alive` parameter with either the `/api/generate` and `/api/chat` API endpoints to control how long the model is left in memory.
By default models are kept in memory for 5 minutes before being unloaded. This allows for quicker response times if you're making numerous requests to the LLM. If you want to immediately unload a model from memory, use the `ollama stop` command:
The `keep_alive` parameter can be set to:
```shell
ollama stop llama3.1
```
If you're using the API, use the `keep_alive` parameter with the `/api/generate` and `/api/chat` endpoints to set the amount of time that a model stays in memory. The `keep_alive` parameter can be set to:
* a duration string (such as "10m" or "24h")
* a number in seconds (such as 3600)
* any negative number which will keep the model loaded in memory (e.g. -1 or "-1m")
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@@ -255,9 +259,9 @@ To unload the model and free up memory use:
Alternatively, you can change the amount of time all models are loaded into memory by setting the `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` environment variable when starting the Ollama server. The `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` variable uses the same parameter types as the `keep_alive` parameter types mentioned above. Refer to section explaining [how to configure the Ollama server](#how-do-i-configure-ollama-server) to correctly set the environment variable.
Alternatively, you can change the amount of time all models are loaded into memory by setting the `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` environment variable when starting the Ollama server. The `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` variable uses the same parameter types as the `keep_alive` parameter types mentioned above. Refer to the section explaining [how to configure the Ollama server](#how-do-i-configure-ollama-server) to correctly set the environment variable.
If you wish to override the `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` setting, use the `keep_alive` API parameter with the `/api/generate`or`/api/chat` API endpoints.
The `keep_alive` API parameter with the `/api/generate`and`/api/chat` API endpoints will override the `OLLAMA_KEEP_ALIVE` setting.
## How do I manage the maximum number of requests the Ollama server can queue?