RAM + SWAP full for pyrefly

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Summary

The issue at hand is related to memory management in a system running Ubuntu, where the RAM and SWAP space become fully utilized when working with a specific project, particularly when using pyrefly. This results in significant performance degradation and necessitates terminating the pyrefly process to regain system stability.

Root Cause

The root cause of this issue can be attributed to several factors, including:

  • Inefficient memory allocation by the application or service in use
  • Lack of proper memory deallocation, leading to memory leaks
  • Insufficient system resources (RAM and SWAP space) to handle the application’s demands
  • Poor system configuration, such as inadequate SWAP space settings

Why This Happens in Real Systems

This issue occurs in real systems due to a combination of software and hardware limitations. When an application requires more memory than is available in RAM, the system starts using SWAP space as an extension of RAM. However, if the SWAP space is also fully utilized, the system can become unresponsive or even crash. Factors contributing to this scenario include:

  • Resource-intensive applications
  • Inadequate system monitoring and maintenance
  • Inefficient coding practices

Real-World Impact

The real-world impact of this issue includes:

  • System crashes and downtime
  • Loss of productivity due to the need for frequent restarts or process terminations
  • Data corruption or loss in cases where the system crashes or is forcefully shut down
  • Increased maintenance costs due to the need for manual intervention and potential hardware upgrades

Example or Code (if necessary and relevant)

import psutil
import os

# Get the current process ID
pid = os.getpid()

# Get the process object
process = psutil.Process(pid)

# Print the current memory usage
print(process.memory_info().rss / (1024 * 1024), "MB")

How Senior Engineers Fix It

Senior engineers address this issue by:

  • Monitoring system resources to identify memory-intensive applications and services
  • Optimizing application code to reduce memory allocation and prevent memory leaks
  • Configuring system settings to ensure adequate SWAP space and proper memory management
  • Implementing efficient caching mechanisms to reduce the load on system resources
  • Upgrading hardware if necessary to provide sufficient resources for demanding applications

Why Juniors Miss It

Junior engineers may overlook this issue due to:

  • Lack of experience with system resource management and optimization
  • Insufficient knowledge of efficient coding practices and memory management techniques
  • Inadequate testing and failure to simulate real-world scenarios
  • Overreliance on automated tools without understanding the underlying system dynamics