EXT4 vs.BtrFS : which Linux file system should you use?

Linux is a powerful open source operating system that not only comes with a variety of distributions, but also files systems. You’ve settled on a Linux distribution and you’re in the process of installing it. Then comes partitioning and you’re required to pick a file system.

With evangelists on both sides, you’re not sure which one to choose. So which one should you choose for your Linux distribution? Personal preference, storage size, speed and performance influence your decision. Ext4 is a pure journaling file system that has been around and is most Linux distribution default files system while BtrFS has disk and volume management inbuilt.

Differences between EXT4 and BtrFS 

EXT4 pros and cons 

The delayed allocation and extents are ext4’s most important features which reduce fragmentation and improve performance by smartly managing how data is written on the disk.  Ext4 performance is faster than ext3. The largest partition or volume you can create with ext4 is one exbibyte while its maximum file size is 16 tebibytes. It’s been tried and tested making it a stable file system the most used and trusted file system on most Linux distributions.­­It also comes with a journaling feature that it uses to keep a log of where files are stored on your PC’s disk and any other changes that happen to the disk. This feature helps it prevent data loss in case of power loss or system crash.

However, the Ext4 default journaling eats into your read/write rate and your write space as well. Ext4 does not support data deduplication, transparent compression, or transparent encryption. When you mount a hard disk, ext4 is slow at checking it. This problem increases as the disk size increases.

BtrFS pros and cons 

BtrFS can support a partition file size of up to 16 exbibyte which is 16 times more than ext4’s capability.  It protects your PC from data protection failure using snapshots, replication tools and point of recovery used to monitor and check background data integrity each time with every single read/write. BtrFS doesn’t use journaling which saves on write space and with its modern architecture, you can access data faster. This is also useful on SSDs as they’re limited on space. It also automatically disables mechanisms that may wear it out. BtrFS’s robust snapshot features all you to instantly create changes and roll-back.

Using data deduplication, you will reduce the amount of space occupied by your data and you can easily mirror your data when it’s a single, broad file system in need of mirroring. You get to clean up data in your drive using the defragmentation feature. Using checksums, you can spot hardware issues early and performs a smart recovery.BtrFS also comes with an inbuilt RAID support to ensure you have x number of copies for every block. i.e. your BtrFS system stores two copies on two different devices. BtrFS is considered to be unstable as it’s relatively new compared to the other file systems.

Comparison table between EXT4 and BtrFS

Conclusion: which one should you use?

Before anything else, check whether your Linux distribution supports ext4 and/or BtrFS. For a distribution like Red hat, Red hat discontinued the use of BtrFS. Despite their differences, both file systems give your PC a way to manage your files. Go for ext4 if you want stability as it has been tried and tested. If you are a risk taker and want to try out something new, then BtrFS is for you.

FAQs 

Can I use more than one file system on my Linux?

Yes. You can partition your disk and use different file systems on these partitions.

What file system does Windows and Mac OS use?

Windows computers use the NTFS files stem while Mac OS uses HFS.