Managing storage on a cheap Linux VPS
I’m a cheap bastard, so I run a couple of production websites and apps on the lowliest DigitalOcean droplet (Virtual Private Server), I can viably use for my needs. For me, that’s their $6 drop, which comes with 1GB of RAM, 1 virtual CPU core, and 25 gigabytes of solid-state storage.
Thanks to the wonderfully efficient GNU/Linux operating system, there are tonnes you can do with such meagre resources. Having a virtualised OS at your command, for so cheap is wonderful, however it’s a two-edged sword since these deployments are totally unmanaged and there are plenty of things that can go pear-shaped if left unattended.
Case in point is storage, which I’ve learnt the hard way, can evaporate over the course of weeks, months, and years thanks to build-up of app caches and logs. Unfortunately, if these can grow to the point of filling your drive, and breaking your VPS and even preventing login as happened to an email server I once ran.
Finding problem files and directories
When using a VPS, you’re interfacing with a machine via the command line, and so it’s not often obvious your disk is running low on storage. Therefore, becoming familiar with command line tools that display this data is important.
