diff --git a/go/cache/inmemory_cache.go b/go/cache/inmemory_cache.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..29e43c83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/cache/inmemory_cache.go
@@ -0,0 +1,283 @@
+// This is a generic, thread-safe in-memory cache implementation in Go, designed to store key-value pairs with optional expiration times. It supports:
+
+// Generic keys (strings only) and generic values (any)
+
+// Per-item expiration and default expiration
+
+// Automatic cleanup of expired items via a background goroutine
+
+// Safe concurrent access using sync.RWMutex
+
+// Common cache operations: Set, Get, Update, Delete, Flush, Count, List, MapToCache
+
+// Designed to be efficient: O(1) access time for most operations
+
+// It is suitable for caching data in-memory within a single Go application and provides a lightweight alternative to external caching systems like Redis for local use cases.
+
+package inmemory_cache
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const (
+	NoExpiration   time.Duration = -1 // Constant to indicate no expiration
+	Defaultexpires time.Duration = 0  // Constant to use default expiration time
+)
+
+// Item represents a cache entry holding a value and its expiration timestamp
+type Item[V any] struct {
+	value   V     // Stored value
+	expires int64 // Expiration time in UnixNano (0 or negative means no expiration)
+}
+
+// Internal cache struct (not exposed directly)
+type cache[K ~string, V any] struct {
+	mu         sync.RWMutex   // Mutex for thread-safe access
+	items      map[K]*Item[V] // Actual map storing cache items
+	done       chan struct{}  // Channel to stop cleanup goroutine
+	expTime    time.Duration  // Default expiration time for items
+	cleanupInt time.Duration  // Interval between cleanup runs
+}
+
+// Exposed Cache type embedding the internal cache
+type Cache[K ~string, V any] struct {
+	*cache[K, V]
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Creates a new internal cache instance
+func newCache[K ~string, V any](expTime, cleanupInt time.Duration, item map[K]*Item[V]) *cache[K, V] {
+	c := &cache[K, V]{
+		mu:         sync.RWMutex{},
+		items:      item,
+		expTime:    expTime,
+		cleanupInt: cleanupInt,
+		done:       make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	return c
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Public API: creates and returns a new cache instance with optional background cleanup
+func New[K ~string, V any](expTime, cleanupTime time.Duration) *Cache[K, V] {
+	items := make(map[K]*Item[V])
+	c := newCache(expTime, cleanupTime, items)
+
+	if cleanupTime > 0 {
+		// Start background cleanup
+		go c.cleanup()
+		// Set finalizer to stop cleanup when cache is garbage collected
+		runtime.SetFinalizer(c, stopCleanup[K, V])
+	}
+
+	return &Cache[K, V]{c}
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Adds a new item to the cache, returns error if key already exists
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Set(key K, val V, d time.Duration) error {
+	item, err := c.Get(key)
+	if item != nil && err == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("item with key '%v' already exists. Use the Update method", key)
+	}
+	c.add(key, val, d)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Adds a value using default expiration
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) SetDefault(key K, val V) error {
+	return c.Set(key, val, Defaultexpires)
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Internal method to add or update a cache item
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) add(key K, val V, d time.Duration) error {
+	var exp int64
+
+	// Handle expiration logic
+	if d == Defaultexpires {
+		d = c.expTime
+	}
+	if d > 0 {
+		exp = time.Now().Add(d).UnixNano()
+	} else if d < 0 {
+		exp = int64(NoExpiration)
+	}
+
+	// Prevent overwriting existing items
+	item, err := c.Get(key)
+	if item != nil && err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("item with key '%v' already exists", key)
+	}
+
+	// Optional value validation
+	switch any(val).(type) {
+	case string:
+		if len(any(val).(string)) == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("value of type string cannot be empty")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Add to map with write lock
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	c.items[key] = &Item[V]{value: val, expires: exp}
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Retrieves a cache item if it exists and is not expired
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Get(key K) (*Item[V], error) {
+	c.mu.RLock()
+	if item, ok := c.items[key]; ok {
+		if item.expires > 0 {
+			now := time.Now().UnixNano()
+			if now > item.expires {
+				c.mu.RUnlock()
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("item with key '%v' expired", key)
+			}
+		}
+		c.mu.RUnlock()
+		return item, nil
+	}
+	c.mu.RUnlock()
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("item with key '%v' not found", key)
+}
+
+// Safely retrieves the value from an Item
+func (it *Item[V]) Val() V {
+	var v V
+	if it != nil {
+		return it.value
+	}
+	return v
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Updates an existing cache item
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Update(key K, val V, d time.Duration) error {
+	item, err := c.Get(key)
+	if item != nil && err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return c.add(key, val, d)
+} // Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Deletes a cache item
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Delete(key K) error {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+	return c.delete(key)
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Internal delete logic
+func (c *cache[K, V]) delete(key K) error {
+	if _, ok := c.items[key]; ok {
+		delete(c.items, key)
+		return nil
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("item with key '%v' does not exists", key)
+}
+
+// Deletes all expired items from the cache
+func (c *cache[K, V]) DeleteExpired() error {
+	var err error
+	now := time.Now().UnixNano()
+
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	for k, item := range c.items {
+		if now > item.expires && item.expires != int64(NoExpiration) {
+			if e := c.delete(k); e != nil {
+				err = errors.Join(err, e)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	return errors.Unwrap(err)
+}
+
+// Clears all items from the cache
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Flush() {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	c.items = make(map[K]*Item[V])
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
+// Returns the underlying items map (shallow copy not made)
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) List() map[K]*Item[V] {
+	c.mu.RLock()
+	defer c.mu.RUnlock()
+	return c.items
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Returns the count of items in the cache
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Count() int {
+	c.mu.RLock()
+	n := len(c.items)
+	c.mu.RUnlock()
+	return n
+}
+
+// Bulk inserts items into the cache
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) MapToCache(m map[K]V, d time.Duration) error {
+	var err error
+	for k, v := range m {
+		e := c.Set(k, v, d)
+		err = errors.Join(err, e)
+	}
+	return errors.Unwrap(err)
+}
+
+// Checks if a specific key is expired
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) IsExpired(key K) bool {
+	item, err := c.Get(key)
+	if item != nil && err != nil {
+		if item.expires > time.Now().UnixNano() {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// Background cleanup process to remove expired items periodically
+func (c *cache[K, V]) cleanup() {
+	tick := time.NewTicker(c.cleanupInt)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-tick.C:
+			c.DeleteExpired()
+		case <-c.done:
+			tick.Stop()
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Time Complexity: O(1)
+// Space Complexity: O(1)
+// Finalizer to stop cleanup goroutine when cache is GC'd
+func stopCleanup[K ~string, V any](c *cache[K, V]) {
+	c.done <- struct{}{}
+}
diff --git a/go/cache/inmemory_cache_test.go b/go/cache/inmemory_cache_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..66eef91f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/cache/inmemory_cache_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+//this is to test inmemory_cache.go
+
+package inmemory_cache
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+type TestStruct struct {
+	Num      int
+	Children []*TestStruct
+}
+
+func TestCache(t *testing.T) {
+	tc := New[string, int](NoExpiration, 0)
+
+	a, found := tc.Get("a")
+	if found == nil {
+		t.Error("Getting A found value that shouldn't exist:", a)
+	}
+
+	b, found := tc.Get("b")
+	if found == nil {
+		t.Error("Getting B found value that shouldn't exist:", b)
+	}
+
+	c, found := tc.Get("c")
+	if found == nil {
+		t.Error("Getting C found value that shouldn't exist:", c)
+	}
+
+	tc.Set("a", 1, NoExpiration)
+
+	x, found := tc.Get("a")
+	if found != nil {
+		t.Error("a was not found while getting a2:", x)
+	}
+
+}
+
+func TestCacheTimes(t *testing.T) {
+
+	tc := New[string, int](50*time.Millisecond, 1*time.Millisecond)
+	tc.Set("a", 1, Defaultexpires)
+	tc.Set("b", 2, NoExpiration)
+	tc.Set("c", 3, 20*time.Millisecond)
+	tc.Set("d", 4, 70*time.Millisecond)
+}