This article explains how Linux memory compression techniques such as zSwap, zRAM, and the Zstandard algorithm reduce I/O pressure, extend flash lifespan, and improve overall system performance, while also covering their drawbacks and step‑by‑step activation procedures.
Memory compression techniques like Linux's zSwap, zRAM, and the zstd algorithm reduce I/O latency and extend RAM capacity by compressing swap pages, offering performance gains while introducing trade‑offs such as CPU overhead and configuration complexity, and this guide explains their principles, advantages, drawbacks, and activation steps.
Linux reduces RAM pressure through three main compression mechanisms—zSwap, which caches compressed pages before writing to swap; zRAM, a RAM‑backed compressed block device; and zCache, a file‑page compressor—each paired with specialized allocators (zsmalloc, zbud, z3fold) and configurable algorithms, offering trade‑offs in speed, ratio, CPU load, and fragmentation.
