Quick Answer
When a container needs more memory than allocated, Linux uses swap space รขโฌโ writing memory to disk. This causes unpredictable latency spikes as memory pages are swapped in and out. For latency-sensitive workloads (databases, real-time APIs), swap introduces tail latency. Disabling swap forces OOM kills instead, which are faster to detect and recover.
Answer
Swapping introduces unpredictable latency and stalls microservices.
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.