How can I keep my disk usage under control when regularly running the Bitcoin Core functional tests?

Question

What directories should I delete regularly to keep my disk usage under control when regularly running Bitcoin Core and the unit/functional tests?

Answer 1

This was answered on Twitter by various individuals.

You should remove the directory /tmp/test_common_Bitcoin Core regularly. For Martin Leitner-Ankerl this was 6GB of leftover files (leftovers only happen when tests fail or are canceled).

theStack also recommends running rm -rf /tmp/bitcoin_func_test_* every now and then.

The /tmp directory is usually only deleted at boot. It is uncommon on modern Linux distros for /tmp to be cleaned up automatically during runtime.

Occasionally (e.g. with the merge of #23371) you need to run rm -rf ./test/cache to force cache regeneration. In the #23371 case the pre-mined chain of the functional test framework changed and the functional tests using MiniWallet would fail (credit: theStack)

For general advice on compiling Bitcoin Core and running the tests see this doc from Jon Atack.

Answer 2

Hello Michael Folkson,

Thanks for sharing insights on controlling disk usage during Bitcoin Core functional tests. To optimize space management, consider:

Mounting /tmp with LVM

Explore using Logical Volume Management (LVM) to mount /tmp, allocating dedicated space. This prevents /tmp from consuming root directory space, enhancing disk usage efficiency.

Implementing LVM provides flexibility and avoids potential issues related to space constraints on the root partition.

Incorporate this best practice for improved Bitcoin Core testing environment performance.

Best regards.