What is Linux Swap?

Linux Swap is a space on your hard drive that the Linux operating system can use as virtual memory when the system runs out of physical memory (RAM). Here are some reasons why you might want to use Linux Swap:

1. Memory Management #

Linux Swap helps manage memory more efficiently. When your system runs out of RAM, it can use the swap space as an overflow, keeping your system running smoothly.

2. Performance Improvement #

Swap can improve system performance by freeing up RAM. For example, if an application isn’t currently being used, but is taking up a large amount of RAM, the system can move it to the swap space, freeing up RAM for other applications.

3. Support for Hibernate Mode #

If you want to use the hibernate feature in Linux (where the system state is written to disk and the computer is completely powered off), you need a swap space. The swap space is used to store the information that is in RAM when the system hibernates.

4. Cost-Effective #

Adding more physical memory (RAM) can be expensive, especially for older computers. Using swap space is a cost-effective way to increase the amount of available memory.

When To Use Linux Swap? #

Imagine you’re processing a large dataset for a machine learning model. This operation requires more memory than your system’s RAM can provide. Without swap space, your system might run out of memory and crash, interrupting your operation.

However, if you have swap space configured, the Linux kernel can move some less important data from the RAM to the swap space. This process is known as ‘swapping’ and it frees up RAM for your data processing operation.

While the swapped out data is not as quickly accessible as it would be in RAM (since hard drives are slower), it allows your system to continue running smoothly without crashing. Once your data-intensive operation is complete and more RAM is available, the kernel can move data back from the swap space to the RAM.

So in this scenario, using Linux Swap allows you to carry out memory-intensive operations without adding more physical memory to your system.