Linux swap file

If too much swap space is filled, the system could become unusable until force-rebooted due to very slow hard drive (or SSD) I/O relative to RAM. It can be better to have the application terminated automatically due to running out of RAM instead of having the system become inaccessible until force-rebooted. There are disadvantages for no swap file.

If not using hibernation, 100 MB swap size is a general starting point for laptop, desktop and embedded systems. Consider the specific situation and test before deployment to avoid unexpected impacts. Setting swapfile size is only for systems using a swapfile. Systems using a swap partition require additional knowledge.

For systems using Dphys-swapfile such as Raspberry Pi, check swap status:

systemctl status dphys-swapfile

Persistently disable swap by:

systemctl stop dphys-swapfile
systemctl disable dphys-swapfile