Setting up a swap file

It is possible to set up a swap file if you want swap space but decided to skip on creating a dedicated partition for it.

Using a file has the added benefit of being flexible enough to be deleted and re-created as needed if your swap space requirements change.

1. To begin, allocate the desired amount of swap space as a file (replace <SIZE> on the following command):

   sudo fallocate -l <SIZE> /swapfile

   E.g. 8GiB.

2. Update its permissions so only the root user can write and read to it:

   sudo chmod 600 /swapfile

3. Format and enable the swap file as you would a partition:

   sudo mkswap /swapfile
   sudo swapon /swapfile

   You'll likely want to update your /etc/fstab too so the swap comes on automatically when the system starts:

   /swapfile swap swap defaults 0 0

You can verify your swap is active by running sudo swapon --show.