Linux is an operating system of text files. Unlike Windows, the Linux philosophy and core concept is that “everything is a file”. Sure, there are databases and binary structures, but nothing like Windows’ “Registry” exists. Even devices, partitions, and sockets are represented either by real or virtual files.
Given all of this, some text files can get pretty big. And often we’re not talking about dozens of MB, but possibly hundreds, or even a few gigabytes in size in rare occasions. And all of it can be text! In fact, something as innocuous as a log file can continue to grow if left unchecked. Let’s say you have a file recording every visit to your website, along with the date, IP, user-agent, etc. For even a medium-sized website, that file can grow pretty large if not dealt with.
