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Using SWAP Space Long-Term

Posted on September 14, 2020

Is it ok to run a droplet that uses SWAP space permanently (by adding more to my droplet using my allocated HD space)?



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Hi @userman,

It’s not really recommended but possible. SWAP is way slower than actual RAM. Once you enter exhaust your RAM and start using SWAP, the processes that need it will be loading a lot slower. This will be seen by your website/application as well. Any visitor will immediately notice the difference. It’s not the best experience to provide to your visitors, unfortunately.

Usually, SWAP is used as a backup plan when your RAM actually runs out and the droplet needs something to keep all services going rather than just kill them. It’s not really suited for Long-term solutions like depending on it all the time.

Regards, KFSys

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