Understanding the Linux OOM Killer: Mechanics, Tuning, and Real‑World Strategies
Introduction When a Linux system runs out of memory, the kernel must decide which processes to terminate to reclaim RAM and keep the machine alive. That decisive, sometimes brutal, component is the Out‑Of‑Memory (OOM) Killer. While most users never see it in action, administrators, developers, and anyone who runs workloads on servers, virtual machines, or containers will eventually encounter it—especially under heavy load, memory leaks, or mis‑configured resource limits. This article provides an in‑depth, practical guide to the OOM Killer: ...