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Ask HN: Wish Linux tmpfs support compression option

I run lots of unprivileged containers, and apps inside create tons of temporary files. tmpfs is perfect for this (easy to mount in unprivileged containers). Adding a compression feature would help a lot.

zram needs root to manage. mkfs.btrfs setup feels way too heavy for what is basically “compressed /tmp”.

Why has tmpfs never gotten an official compression feature?

( 1 comment | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: Wish Linux tmpfs support compression option by stop50 on Friday March 06, 2026 @01:31AM (#47271637)
I would guess its because it is an vital system. Initrd depends on it, a lot of paths are backed by tmpfs, ... An error in that subsystem could make it unbootable