diff --git a/Linux/Basic Administration/26-free.md b/Linux/Basic Administration/26-free.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..633c993 --- /dev/null +++ b/Linux/Basic Administration/26-free.md @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +## πŸ–₯️ Viewing Memory Usage with `free` + +The `free` command shows your system’s memory usage. + +```bash +free +``` + +For **human-readable** output (MB, GB, etc.): + +```bash +free -h +``` + +**πŸ“Š Explanation of columns:** + +| Column | Description | +| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | +| **πŸ’Ύ total** | Total physical memory (RAM) available in the system. | +| **πŸ“‚ used** | Memory currently used by processes and the system. | +| **πŸ†“ free** | Completely unused RAM (not allocated to anything). | +| **πŸ”„ shared** | Memory shared between multiple processes. | +| **⚑ buff/cache** | Memory used for file buffers and cache to improve performance. | +| **βœ… available** | Estimated memory available for starting new apps without swapping. | + +πŸ’‘ **Pro Tip:** + +* `βœ… available` is more useful than `πŸ†“ free` for knowing how much memory you can actually use, since Linux keeps unused memory in cache for speed. +