diff --git a/pingora-cache/src/lib.rs b/pingora-cache/src/lib.rs
index bc370b7f..0464297d 100644
--- a/pingora-cache/src/lib.rs
+++ b/pingora-cache/src/lib.rs
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ use crate::max_file_size::MaxFileSizeMissHandler;
 pub use key::CacheKey;
 use lock::{CacheLock, LockStatus, Locked};
 pub use memory::MemCache;
+pub use meta::{set_compression_dict_content, set_compression_dict_path};
 pub use meta::{CacheMeta, CacheMetaDefaults};
 pub use storage::{HitHandler, MissHandler, PurgeType, Storage};
 pub use variance::VarianceBuilder;
@@ -1237,12 +1238,3 @@ impl HttpCache {
             .set_tag(|| Tag::new("is_subrequest", true))
     }
 }
-
-/// Set the header compression dictionary, which helps serialize http header.
-///
-/// Return false if it is already set.
-pub fn set_compression_dict_path(path: &str) -> bool {
-    crate::meta::COMPRESSION_DICT_PATH
-        .set(path.to_string())
-        .is_ok()
-}
diff --git a/pingora-cache/src/meta.rs b/pingora-cache/src/meta.rs
index fd608d4e..75a1a0dd 100644
--- a/pingora-cache/src/meta.rs
+++ b/pingora-cache/src/meta.rs
@@ -15,9 +15,13 @@
 //! Metadata for caching
 
 pub use http::Extensions;
+use log::warn;
+use once_cell::sync::{Lazy, OnceCell};
 use pingora_error::{Error, ErrorType::*, OrErr, Result};
+use pingora_header_serde::HeaderSerde;
 use pingora_http::{HMap, ResponseHeader};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime};
 
 use crate::key::HashBinary;
@@ -561,53 +565,20 @@ impl CacheMetaDefaults {
     }
 }
 
-use log::warn;
-use once_cell::sync::{Lazy, OnceCell};
-use pingora_header_serde::HeaderSerde;
-use std::fs::File;
-use std::io::Read;
-
-/* load header compression engine and its dictionary globally */
-pub(crate) static COMPRESSION_DICT_PATH: OnceCell<String> = OnceCell::new();
-
-fn load_file(path: &String) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
-    let mut file = File::open(path)
-        .map_err(|e| {
-            warn!(
-                "failed to open header compress dictionary file at {}, {:?}",
-                path, e
-            );
-            e
-        })
-        .ok()?;
-    let mut dict = Vec::new();
-    file.read_to_end(&mut dict)
-        .map_err(|e| {
-            warn!(
-                "failed to read header compress dictionary file at {}, {:?}",
-                path, e
-            );
-            e
-        })
-        .ok()?;
-
-    Some(dict)
-}
+/// The dictionary content for header compression.
+///
+/// Used during initialization of [`HEADER_SERDE`].
+static COMPRESSION_DICT_CONTENT: OnceCell<Cow<'static, [u8]>> = OnceCell::new();
 
 static HEADER_SERDE: Lazy<HeaderSerde> = Lazy::new(|| {
-    let dict_path_opt = COMPRESSION_DICT_PATH.get();
-
-    if dict_path_opt.is_none() {
-        warn!("COMPRESSION_DICT_PATH is not set");
-    }
-
-    let result = dict_path_opt.and_then(load_file);
-
-    if result.is_none() {
-        warn!("HeaderSerde not loaded from file");
-    }
-
-    HeaderSerde::new(result)
+    let dict_opt = if let Some(dict_content) = COMPRESSION_DICT_CONTENT.get() {
+        Some(dict_content.to_vec())
+    } else {
+        warn!("no header compression dictionary loaded - use set_compression_dict_content() or set_compression_dict_path() to set one");
+        None
+    };
+
+    HeaderSerde::new(dict_opt)
 });
 
 pub(crate) fn header_serialize(header: &ResponseHeader) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
@@ -617,3 +588,31 @@ pub(crate) fn header_serialize(header: &ResponseHeader) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
 pub(crate) fn header_deserialize<T: AsRef<[u8]>>(buf: T) -> Result<ResponseHeader> {
     HEADER_SERDE.deserialize(buf.as_ref())
 }
+
+/// Load the header compression dictionary from a file, which helps serialize http header.
+///
+/// Returns false if it is already set or if the file could not be read.
+///
+/// Use [`set_compression_dict_content`] to set the dictionary from memory instead.
+pub fn set_compression_dict_path(path: &str) -> bool {
+    match std::fs::read(path) {
+        Ok(dict) => COMPRESSION_DICT_CONTENT.set(dict.into()).is_ok(),
+        Err(e) => {
+            warn!(
+                "failed to read header compress dictionary file at {}, {:?}",
+                path, e
+            );
+            false
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Set the header compression dictionary content, which helps serialize http header.
+///
+/// Returns false if it is already set.
+///
+/// This is an alernative to [`set_compression_dict_path`], allowing use of
+/// a dictionary without an external file.
+pub fn set_compression_dict_content(content: Cow<'static, [u8]>) -> bool {
+    COMPRESSION_DICT_CONTENT.set(content).is_ok()
+}