What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
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To check a Linux VPS quickly, connect over SSH and run free -h. Read the available column as your practical RAM headroom, then inspect the Swap row. Use top and press Shift+M to find memory-heavy processes; use ps aux --sort=-%mem | head for a one-time list. If the numbers remain unclear, examine /proc/meminfo and watch changes with vmstat 1.
Linux often reports nearly all RAM as used because it keeps reclaimable filesystem data in cache. A low free value alone is not proof that the VPS is running out of memory. Falling available memory, sustained swap activity, growing resident memory in a process, or an out-of-memory (OOM) event are stronger signs of pressure.
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Start with a complete memory snapshot
SSH to the VPS with an account that can run the diagnostic commands, then execute:
free -hThe -h option prints values in human-readable units such as MiB or GiB. The free utility reads its data from /proc/meminfo. Its purpose is to show physical and swap memory totals, what is unused, and memory used for kernel buffers and caches.
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How to read the Mem row
A typical result has columns similar to these:
| Column | Meaning | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
total |
Total physical RAM assigned to the VPS. | Compare this with the RAM size in your VPS plan or hypervisor allocation. |
used |
Calculated as total memory minus available memory. | Do not interpret it as memory that applications alone have consumed; reclaimable cache is included indirectly. |
free |
Completely unused physical memory. | A small number is normal on an active Linux system. |
shared |
Memory commonly associated with shared-memory filesystems such as tmpfs. |
Use it as context rather than adding it to other columns. |
buff/cache |
Kernel buffers, page cache, and reclaimable slab memory. | This can be reclaimed for applications when needed. |
available |
An estimate of physical RAM that can be assigned to applications without swapping. | This is the most useful first indicator of immediate headroom. |
The used value is derived from total - available; it is not simply the sum of every visible category. Linux intentionally uses idle RAM for cache to speed up disk access and releases that cache when applications need the space.
Read the Swap row separately
The second row reports Swap total, used, and free. Swap is storage-backed virtual memory, not additional physical RAM. Some systems have no swap at all; in that case the totals show zero. A nonzero used value means pages have been moved to swap at some point, but a historical, small amount does not by itself prove current distress.
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Find the process using the most memory
Interactive inspection with top
Run:
toptop provides a live process list and a system summary. While it is running, press Shift+M (uppercase M) to sort processes by memory use. Press q to quit. The exact summary layout varies by procps version, but the process columns generally include percentage memory, virtual size, and resident size.
Use top when you need to watch whether one process keeps growing, whether the list changes during a request, or whether system activity coincides with a spike. The display refreshes repeatedly, so it can reveal behavior that a one-time command misses.
One-shot report with ps
For a quick sorted report, run:
ps aux --sort=-%mem | headThis places processes with the highest percentage of total RAM first. The command is convenient for copying into a ticket or log, but it is only one instant in time.
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When the question is specifically “which processes currently occupy physical RAM?”, sort by resident set size (RSS) instead:
ps -eo pid,comm,%mem,rss,vsz --sort=-rss | headRSS is the amount of a process’s memory currently resident in physical RAM and not swapped out. VSZ is the process’s virtual address-space size. VSZ can include mapped files, reserved address space, and shared regions that are not resident, so it is not a direct measure of RAM pressure. RSS can also include pages shared with other processes; do not add every process RSS value and expect it to equal the machine total.
Interpreting process columns
- %MEM: the process’s share of physical memory as calculated by
ps. - RSS: resident physical pages for that process, normally shown in KiB by
ps. - VSZ: total virtual address space, also normally shown in KiB.
- PID: the process identifier you can use with other commands.
- COMMAND: the executable or command name; inspect the full command line if several instances are similar.
A high-ranked process is a lead, not automatically a leak. Databases, language runtimes, web servers, and caches often reserve memory deliberately. Compare its RSS across several samples and check its configured limits before stopping it.
Inspect the kernel’s detailed counters
Run:
cat /proc/meminfoThis virtual kernel interface prints one named counter per line with a value and unit, usually kB. Important fields include:
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| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
MemTotal |
Total physical memory visible to the kernel. |
MemFree |
Pages currently unused, excluding cache and reclaimable memory. |
MemAvailable |
Kernel estimate of memory available to start applications without swapping. |
Buffers |
Memory used for raw block-device metadata and related kernel buffers. |
Cached |
Page cache for files, excluding some other cache categories. |
SwapTotal |
Total swap space visible to the kernel. |
SwapFree |
Unused swap space. |
Many additional counters describe slabs, mapped pages, huge pages, writeback, and virtual-memory activity. Kernel documentation warns that these counters can overlap. Do not add every line to create your own “used” total; use the definitions supplied by free and the kernel instead.
When meminfo is the missing piece
If free and the process list do not account for the pressure, inspect memory-specific kernel and subsystem counters in /proc. Kernel memory, page tables, shared memory, tmpfs files, and other accounting domains may not map neatly to one user-space process. On a VPS, also check whether the provider or your service manager applies a memory limit. A process can be constrained by its cgroup even when the host has unused RAM.
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Watch memory pressure over time
Use vmstat for a live trend
Run:
vmstat 1The first line is usually an average or since-boot summary; subsequent lines arrive at one-second intervals. Continue for the period that includes the slowdown and stop with Ctrl+C. Focus on:
free: free physical memory in the report’s unit.si: memory brought in from swap per interval.so: memory written to swap per interval.r: runnable tasks waiting for CPU, useful for separating CPU contention from memory symptoms.wa: CPU time waiting for I/O, which can rise when swapping causes storage activity.
Sustained nonzero swap-in or swap-out activity while available memory is falling is stronger evidence of active memory pressure than a low free value. A brief event may be harmless; look for persistence and correlate it with response-time problems.
Repeat free at fixed intervals
For a simpler series of snapshots, run:
while true; do date; free -h; sleep 5; doneStop it with Ctrl+C. This records the timestamp and the key totals every five seconds. Compare the same fields across samples rather than comparing values from different units or refresh periods.
Distinguish normal cache use from a real shortage
Linux’s memory policy makes “almost all RAM used” an ambiguous symptom. Filesystem cache is retained while it is useful and can be reclaimed when an application requests memory. Therefore, a low free column or a large buff/cache column is not, on its own, a failure condition.
Use these signals together:
- Healthy utilization:
availableremains broadly stable, swap activity is absent or occasional, and services respond normally. - Developing pressure:
availabledeclines over repeated samples, swap-in or swap-out continues, and one or more processes show rising RSS. - Severe pressure: the kernel logs an OOM-killer event, requests stall while swap activity remains high, or services are terminated or repeatedly restarted.
There is no universal “safe percentage” that applies to every VPS. Workloads differ, and the kernel’s available-memory estimate is more actionable than a percentage copied from another system.
Check for OOM-killer events
If a service disappeared or was killed, inspect the kernel log using the logging facility enabled by the distribution. Common commands are:
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dmesg -T | grep -i -E 'out of memory|oom|killed process'journalctl -k | grep -i -E 'out of memory|oom|killed process'Some VPS environments restrict access to kernel logs, and older systems may use a different log location. A matching event confirms that the kernel (or a constrained cgroup) could not satisfy an allocation and selected a process for termination. Record the timestamp, PID, command, and memory figures, then compare them with your free, top, and vmstat samples.
Understand VPS and container limits
A virtual server may see only the memory assigned to its guest, not the host’s physical total. Nested containers and service-level cgroups can impose a lower limit still. This creates two common discrepancies:
- The VPS total is smaller than expected: verify the plan allocation and the guest’s
MemTotal; a host’s advertised RAM is irrelevant if it is not assigned to your instance. - A process is killed with apparent headroom: inspect cgroup or container memory limits and current usage. The limit may apply to the service even though
free -hreflects a larger system-wide allowance.
Look for the cgroup layout exposed by your distribution under /sys/fs/cgroup. The exact files differ between cgroup v1 and v2, so use the controller names and service-manager documentation present on that VPS rather than assuming one path. Also account for tmpfs files, kernel memory, and shared pages that are not obvious in a simple per-process ranking.
Choose the right command for the question
| Question | Best first tool | Why | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much RAM and swap are available now? | free -h |
Compact, human-readable system summary. | Does not identify the responsible process. |
| Which process is high right now? | top, then Shift+M |
Interactive sorting and repeated refreshes. | Requires an interactive terminal and interpretation of shared memory. |
| What is the top list for a script or ticket? | ps aux --sort=-%mem | head |
One-shot, easy to redirect or parse. | Captures only one instant. |
| Which processes have the largest resident footprint? | ps -eo pid,comm,%mem,rss,vsz --sort=-rss | head |
Sorts by RSS rather than virtual size. | RSS may include pages shared with other processes. |
| Which kernel categories explain the total? | cat /proc/meminfo |
Exposes detailed named counters. | Counters overlap and need their documented definitions. |
| Is swapping occurring continuously? | vmstat 1 |
Shows interval-by-interval swap and system activity. | Requires observing a representative period. |
A repeatable diagnostic workflow
Use this order when investigating a report that the VPS is slow or out of memory:
- Capture the baseline: run
free -hand save the output with a timestamp. - Check swap: note
SwapTotal,SwapFree, and the used amount. Confirm whether swap exists at all. - Attribute usage: run
top, press Shift+M, and note the top processes and their RSS or percentage values. - Make a copyable ranking: run the appropriate
pscommand, choosing percentage or RSS sorting according to the question. - Observe change: run
vmstat 1during the incident or repeatfree -hat fixed intervals. - Inspect details: if totals still do not reconcile, read
/proc/meminfoand investigate kernel, tmpfs, shared-memory, and cgroup accounting. - Check termination evidence: search kernel logs for OOM messages if a service was killed.
- Correlate with configuration: review the memory settings and limits of the process that grows, rather than stopping a process solely because it ranks first once.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Treating free as the only safe-memory number
MemFree excludes reclaimable cache, so it can look small even while the system can start applications. Use available or MemAvailable for practical headroom.
Adding every process RSS value
Shared libraries and shared mappings can appear in multiple processes’ RSS. The sum will therefore overstate unique physical use. Use process rankings for attribution and free or meminfo for the system total.
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Using VSZ as if it were RAM consumption
VSZ describes virtual address space, including reservations and mappings that may never be resident. Use RSS when physical residency is the question.
Taking one sample during a transient spike
A single command cannot show direction. Capture several samples, include the incident period, and look for sustained swap activity or a steadily increasing RSS.
Assuming swap used means the VPS is currently thrashing
Pages can remain in swap after a temporary event. Active swap-in and swap-out over successive vmstat intervals, especially with declining available memory, is the more meaningful warning.
Ignoring service or container limits
A cgroup limit can trigger an OOM kill inside a service even when system-wide figures look comfortable. Check the applicable limit and usage under the VPS’s cgroup hierarchy.
What to do after you confirm pressure
First preserve evidence: save free -h, the sorted process list, a short vmstat 1 capture, and any OOM log lines. Then identify whether the pressure is a one-time workload peak, a continuously growing process, or a hard service limit.
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- Steadily growing RSS: inspect the application’s workload and restart policy, then investigate a leak or unbounded cache using that application’s own diagnostics.
- High swap activity: reduce concurrent memory demand and determine whether the VPS has enough RAM for the workload; swap can absorb bursts but is storage-backed and slower than RAM.
- OOM under a cgroup: raise the service limit only if the VPS has genuine headroom, or reduce the service’s memory footprint and concurrency.
- Unexplained kernel or tmpfs use: use the detailed counters and subsystem-specific interfaces rather than guessing from a process list.
Do not kill the top-ranked process blindly. Confirm its role, capture its command line and owner, and understand the service’s recovery behavior before taking action.
Minimal command checklist
Keep these commands available for a first response:
# Summary, including practical headroom and swap
free -h
# Live process view; press Shift+M inside top
top
# One-shot percentage ranking
ps aux --sort=-%mem | head
# One-shot RSS ranking
ps -eo pid,comm,%mem,rss,vsz --sort=-rss | head
# Detailed kernel counters
cat /proc/meminfo
# One-second trend, including swap-in and swap-out
vmstat 1These built-in tools answer different parts of the same question: free tells you whether the machine has practical headroom, top and ps attribute resident usage to processes, and meminfo plus vmstat explain kernel categories and movement over time.
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