Disk usage rarely spikes—it creeps. This short guide outlines the usual growth areas on WordPress servers so you can monitor and act before you hit a full root disk.
Common growth areas
- Media uploads —
wp-content/uploadsgrows with every upload - Logs — Apache, PHP-FPM, and WordPress debug logs if enabled
- Backups — local backups, temp files, or plugin backup dirs
Fix pattern
- Monitor trends (e.g.
df -handduon/varand site roots) - Rotate or offload logs; prune or move backups off the root filesystem
FAQ
What’s the first place to check when disk is full?
Run sudo du -xhd1 / | sort -h (and then drill into /var). See fixing a full root disk for a full triage and cleanup flow.
Related
- Fix a full root disk on Ubuntu WordPress servers — recovery and cleanup steps