Linux df and du commands to manage and check disk space

1. df (Disk Free) — Check Filesystem Space

The df command shows the amount of disk space available on the entire file system.

• Basic usage (Human-readable format):
  
  
  Bash

  df -h
  

  (The -h flag converts bytes into KB, MB, or GB for readability).
  
  
• Show filesystem types along with space:
  
  
  Bash

  df -Th
  

  (Displays formats like ext4, tmpfs, xfs, etc.)
  
  
• Check Inode usage (file count limits):
  
  
  Bash

  df -i
  

  (Useful if your disk says it has space, but you get "No space left on device" errors due to running out of inodes).
  
  

2. du (Disk Usage) — Check File & Directory Sizes

The du command estimates file and directory space usage, helping you find which specific folders are consuming your storage.

• Check the size of a specific directory (human-readable):
  
  
  Bash

  du -sh /path/to/directory
  

  (The -s flag gives a summary total instead of listing every individual sub-file).
  
  
• List sizes of all files and subfolders in the current directory:
  
  
  Bash

  du -h --max-depth=1
  

  (Helps you quickly see which sub-folder is taking up the most space).
  
  
• Sort directories by size (largest first):
  
  
  Bash

  du -h --max-depth=1 | sort -hr
  

• Show total size of everything in the current directory including a grand total:
  Bash

  du -ch
  

💡 Quick Summary Comparison

Command	Focus	Best Used For	Common Flag
df	Filesystem level	Checking overall hard drive / partition capacity	df -h
du	Directory level	Finding which specific folders or files are hogging space	du -sh *