how-to-free-up-disk-space-on-linux

How To Free Up Disk Space​

Low disk space can affect server stability and performance. This guide helps you identify and free up disk space on your OpenPanel server.

1. Check Disk Usage​

Start by checking how much space is currently used:

df -h

To find large directories:

du -h / | sort -hr | head -n 20

2. Clean Up Docker​

Docker can quickly consume space with unused containers, images, volumes, and networks.

• To rrmove unused Docker data:

docker system prune

• To also remove unused volumes (use with caution):

docker system prune --volumes

🧼 Note: This only removes resources not actively in use. Review the list before confirming.

• View what's taking space:

docker system df

3. Clear Logs​

Log files often grow large over time:

• Delete rotated/compressed logs:

rm -f /var/log/*.gz /var/log/*.1

• Truncate current logs:

truncate -s 0 /var/log/syslog
truncate -s 0 /var/log/auth.log

4. Remove Unused Packages​

Free space by removing orphaned packages:

• For Debian/Ubuntu:

apt autoremove
apt clean

• For CentOS/RHEL:

yum autoremove
yum clean all

5. Clear Cache​

Remove stored .deb or .rpm files:

• APT cache:

rm -rf /var/cache/apt/archives/*

• YUM cache:

rm -rf /var/cache/yum

6. Delete Temporary Files​

Clean up temp directories:

rm -rf /tmp/*
rm -rf /var/tmp/*

7. Clean User Trash​

For all users:

rm -rf /home/*/.cache/*
rm -rf /home/*/.local/share/Trash/*

8. Remove Old Backups​

Search for old or backup files:

find / -type f \( -name "*.bak" -o -name "*.old" \)

Inspect before deleting.

9. Analyze with ncdu​

Use ncdu for a navigable summary:

apt install ncdu      # Debian/Ubuntu
yum install ncdu      # CentOS/RHEL

ncdu /

10. Update OpenPanel (Optional)​

Updsting OpenPanel removes previous docker images

opencli update --force

Tip: Enable disk usage alerts via OpenAdmin > Settings > Notifications.