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Increase Disk Space on a Linux Server

Expand your root partition or add a new volume when your server runs low on disk space.

intermediate

7 min read

LightYear Team

Updated April 24, 2026

diskstoragelinuxpartitionresize

Option 1 — Resize the Root Volume (Resize Server)

The simplest approach is to upgrade to a larger server plan, which includes a larger root disk.

See: Resize a Server (Upgrade Plan)

Option 2 — Attach Additional Block Storage

Attach a new block storage volume and mount it at a specific path (e.g. /var/lib/docker).

See: Attach and Format Block Storage

Option 3 — Extend an Existing Volume

If you resized a block storage volume, extend the filesystem:

>_BASH

$# Check current size
$lsblk
$
$# For ext4
$resize2fs /dev/vdb
$
$# For XFS
$xfs_growfs /mount/point

Freeing Up Disk Space

Before adding storage, check what's consuming space:

>_BASH

$# Top 10 largest directories
$du -h / --max-depth=3 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -20
$
$# Docker cleanup
$docker system prune -a --volumes
$
$# APT cache
$apt-get clean
$apt-get autoremove
$
$# Journal logs
$journalctl --vacuum-size=500M
$
$# Large files
$find / -type f -size +500M 2>/dev/null

Monitoring Disk Usage

>_BASH

$# Current usage
$df -h
$
$# Inode usage (can fill up independently of space)
$df -i
$
$# Watch in real time
$watch -n 5 df -h

Setting Up Disk Alerts

>_BASH

$# Add to crontab: alert if disk > 80%
$*/15 * * * * df -h / | awk 'NR==2 {gsub("%",""); if ($5>80) print "DISK ALERT: "$5"% used"}' | mail -s "Disk Alert" [email protected]

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