RAM drive

lastmod 2026-11-10created 2015-04-022 edits

RAM drive (also RAM disk) is storage space that uses part of main memory mounted like a disk. Access is much faster than an SSD, but its contents disappear when the power goes off, so it is used for data that can be lost, such as temporary files, build caches, and intermediate compilation output. On Linux it is created by mounting tmpfs or ramfs, and /dev/shm is a typical example.

Favorite site

• Wikipedia (en) description of RAM disks
• Creating a RAM disk on Redhat/Ubuntu Linux