RAM is getting expensive, so squeeze the most from it

RAM prices are rising, making Linux memory compression tools more relevant. Zram creates compressed RAM disks used as swap space, avoiding slow disk I/O by keeping compressed pages in memory — useful for Raspberry Pis, eMMC devices, and machines with limited RAM. Zswap takes a different approach: it sits in front of existing disk swap and compresses pages before they're written out, reducing disk swap usage. The two tools are mutually exclusive and shouldn't be used together. For general desktop/laptop use, zswap tends to perform better, while zram suits embedded or low-storage devices. A third experimental option, Zcache, exists but isn't production-ready. Practical setup tips are provided for both tools, including how to disable conflicting features like encrypted swap on Pop!_OS.