This article provides authoritative guidance on Linux memory management, debunking common misconceptions about zswap and zram. It explains that zswap is generally preferable as it integrates with kernel memory management and gracefully tiers data to disk, while zram can cause performance issues by filling RAM with cold pages. The author recommends zram only for specific embedded or diskless systems and warns against using it alongside disk swap.
Background
zswap and zram are Linux kernel features for memory compression and swap management, but there's widespread confusion about their proper usage and tradeoffs in the Linux community.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Mar 24, 2026 at 06:54 PM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10