💾 Disk Space Management and Cleanup Strategies in AlmaLinux: Simple Guide

Is your AlmaLinux system running out of space? Don’t worry! 😊 We’ll learn how to check disk usage, find what’s eating up your storage, and clean things up safely. It’s easier than you think! Let’s make your system breathe again! 🚀

🤔 Why is Disk Space Management Important?

Managing disk space keeps your computer happy and healthy! Here’s why it matters:

• 💨 Better Performance - More free space means faster system
• 🛡️ Prevents Crashes - Full disks can cause system failures
• 📦 Install New Software - Need space for updates and programs
• 📊 Smooth Operations - Services need room to work properly
• 🔄 Backup Space - Room for important file backups
• 📝 Log Files - System needs space to write logs

🎯 What You Need

Before we start cleaning, make sure you have:

• ✅ AlmaLinux system (any version)
• ✅ Terminal access
• ✅ Basic command line knowledge
• ✅ Admin (sudo) access for some commands
• ✅ 5-10 minutes to follow along

📝 Step 1: Check Your Disk Space

Let’s see how much space you have left! 🔍

Check All Disks

# Show disk usage in human-readable format
df -h

Example output:

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1        20G   12G  7.0G  64% /
/dev/sda2       100G   45G   50G  48% /home
tmpfs           2.0G     0  2.0G   0% /dev/shm

What this shows: 📖

• Size = Total disk size
• Used = Space already used
• Avail = Free space available
• Use% = Percentage used (watch this!)
• Mounted on = Where disk is connected

Check Specific Directory

# Check home directory size
du -sh /home

# Check with more detail
du -h /home --max-depth=1

🔧 Step 2: Find What’s Using Space

Time to find the space hogs! 🐷

Find Large Files

# Find files larger than 100MB
find / -type f -size +100M 2>/dev/null

# Find top 10 largest files
find / -type f -exec du -h {} + 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -10

Check Directory Sizes

# See sizes of directories in current location
du -h --max-depth=1 | sort -rh

# Check /var directory (common space user)
sudo du -h /var --max-depth=1 | sort -rh

Pro tip: 💡 The /var directory often fills up with logs and cache!

🌟 Step 3: Clean Package Cache

Package managers save downloaded files. Let’s clean them! 🧹

Clean DNF Cache

# Check cache size first
sudo du -sh /var/cache/dnf

# Clean all cached packages
sudo dnf clean all

# Remove old packages only
sudo dnf clean packages

Remove Old Kernels

# List installed kernels
rpm -qa kernel

# Keep only 2 newest kernels
sudo dnf remove --oldinstallonly --setopt installonly_limit=2 kernel

What happens: 🔄

• Old package files are deleted
• Downloaded metadata is cleared
• Old kernels are removed
• You free up lots of space!

✅ Step 4: Clean Log Files

Logs can grow huge! Let’s manage them properly. 📚

Check Log Sizes

# See log directory size
sudo du -sh /var/log

# Find large log files
sudo find /var/log -type f -size +100M

Clean Old Logs

# Clear systemd journal logs older than 7 days
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=7d

# Or keep only 500MB of logs
sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=500M

# Clear specific log file safely
sudo truncate -s 0 /var/log/messages

Setup Automatic Cleanup

# Configure journal size limit
sudo nano /etc/systemd/journald.conf

# Add these lines:
SystemMaxUse=500M
SystemMaxFileSize=100M

🎮 Quick Examples

Example 1: Quick Cleanup Script 🚀

#!/bin/bash
# Save as cleanup.sh

echo "🧹 Starting cleanup..."

# Clean package cache
sudo dnf clean all

# Clean journal logs
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=7d

# Empty trash
rm -rf ~/.local/share/Trash/*

echo "✅ Cleanup complete!"

# Check free space
df -h /

Example 2: Find and Delete Old Files 📅

# Find files not accessed in 30 days
find ~/Downloads -atime +30 -type f

# Delete them (careful!)
find ~/Downloads -atime +30 -type f -delete

# Find and remove .tmp files
find /tmp -name "*.tmp" -mtime +7 -delete

Example 3: Emergency Space Recovery 🆘

# When disk is critically full

# 1. Clean package cache immediately
sudo dnf clean all

# 2. Clear all journal logs
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=1d

# 3. Empty /tmp
sudo rm -rf /tmp/*

# 4. Check space recovered
df -h

🚨 Fix Common Problems

Problem 1: “No space left on device” ❌

Symptoms:

• Can’t save files
• Can’t install updates
• System acting weird

Try this:

# Emergency cleanup
sudo dnf clean all
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=1d
sudo rm -rf /var/tmp/*

# Find largest files
sudo du -ahx / | sort -rh | head -20

Problem 2: Root partition full ❌

Try this:

# Check what's using root space
sudo du -hx --max-depth=1 /

# Common culprits
sudo du -sh /var/log
sudo du -sh /var/cache
sudo du -sh /tmp

Problem 3: Can’t find what’s using space ❌

Check these hidden spots:

# Check for deleted but open files
sudo lsof | grep deleted

# Check docker if installed
docker system prune -a

# Check snap packages
du -sh /var/lib/snapd

📋 Simple Commands Summary

💡 Tips for Success

1. Regular Cleaning 🔄 - Clean monthly to prevent buildup
2. Monitor Usage 📊 - Check disk space weekly
3. Set Limits 📏 - Configure log rotation and limits
4. Before Deleting ⚠️ - Always check what you’re removing
5. Keep Backups 💾 - Save important files before cleanup

🏆 What You Learned

Great job! Now you can:

• ✅ Check disk space usage
• ✅ Find large files and directories
• ✅ Clean package cache safely
• ✅ Manage log files properly
• ✅ Create cleanup scripts
• ✅ Recover from full disk situations

🎯 Why This Matters

Now your AlmaLinux system:

• 🚀 Runs faster with more free space
• 🛡️ Won’t crash from full disks
• 📦 Has room for new software
• 🔄 Updates smoothly
• 📊 Operates more efficiently

Remember: A clean system is a happy system! Regular maintenance prevents big problems! ⭐

Keep your disk clean and your AlmaLinux will thank you! Happy cleaning! 🧹✨