> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/troubleshooting/performance/lackof_disk_space.md).

# Running out of disk space

Finding what has filled the disk on an OpenIAM host and reclaiming it, from container images to the systemd journal.

| Symptom                                                                           | Likely cause                                                              | Resolution                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Services fail to write, or a container will not start, and the filesystem is full | Images and stopped containers, the systemd journal, or OpenIAM's own logs | Find the consumer first, then reclaim, below |

Reclaim from whatever is actually holding the space rather than running every command below — each one frees a different thing, and on a given host usually only one of them matters.

## Find out what is holding it

Start with the filesystems, so you know which one is full:

```bash
df -h
```

Then the likely consumers:

| Consumer                          | Check                            |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| OpenIAM's own service logs        | `du -sh /usr/local/openiam/logs` |
| The systemd journal               | `journalctl --disk-usage`        |
| Everything under the OpenIAM home | `du -sh /usr/local/openiam/*`    |

**On an OpenIAM host the answer is usually the service logs**, so start there rather than with the filesystem as a whole.

## Reclaim it

### The systemd journal

```bash
sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=100M
```

This trims the persistent journal to 100 MB by discarding the oldest entries. It runs from anywhere — there is no need to change directory first.

To cap it permanently rather than once, set `SystemMaxUse` in `/etc/systemd/journald.conf`.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Check whether the space comes back.** Run `df -h` again rather than assuming — if the filesystem is still full, the consumer was something else in the table above.
{% endhint %}


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