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- Traditionally, swap space is used as a separate partition on the disk. When you install Linux, you create a separate partition just for swap. But this trend has changed in the recent years. With swap file, you don’t need a separate partition anymore. You create a file under root and tell your system to use it as the swap space.
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What is the difference between swap partitions and swapfiles?
What is a swap partition in Linux?
What happens if a swap partition is not used?
Should I use a swap file or a partition?
What are the advantages of a swap partition?
Is a swap partition slower than a dedicated partition?
Mar 18, 2024 · It’s a strategy to mitigate memory starvation when a system is running out of memory. To employ it, Linux moves or swaps out blocks of non-critical memory to disk and swaps them back in on demand. Notably, Linux can use either a swap partition or a swap file for this type of memory when real memory is full.
Jul 17, 2023 · Flexibility: Swapfiles are more flexible than swap partitions. They can be resized, deleted, or moved as needed, which makes them an excellent choice for systems with changing memory demands. Space Efficiency: Swapfiles use space within the existing file system.
Oct 17, 2010 · A swap partition can be preferred because it avoids a dependency on the file system when all you need is an addressable memory pool. But nothing prevents you from using a swap file instead of a swap partition, or in addition to a swap partition.
Aug 9, 2018 · The primary advantage of a swapfile is that it is easy to resize, so there isn't much point in transitioning unless you are unhappy with your swap partition size. You could move the swap to an encrypted partition for security, but there are other ways of encrypting your swap.
Oct 24, 2020 · As long as you created your /swapfile using dd (not fallocate), and made the mods to /etc/default/grub and did sudo update-grub, then theoretically it should be the same. Personally, I'd use a swap partition, rather than creating such a huge /swapfile.
Jan 25, 2015 · It is very easy to change the swap file size, compared with resizing a swap partition. There is a slight performance benefit, because the swap area is in the middle of the normal file area, so head movements will be smaller (unless the swap partition is on a separate physical disc, when a swap partition will perform better).
Aug 23, 2017 · A swapfile in a partition with other files would have to go through the filesystem, and could get fragmented slowing it down, but I don't think it would be noticeably slower than a dedicated swap partition. The disk speed for reading & writing would be essentially the same.
