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Here is how we prepare a server with less than 4GBs of RAM so that it can run Docassemble.
Step 1 - Generate and activate your swapfile
sudo fallocate -l 3G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile
Step 2 - Ensure that the new swap file is used after a reboot
Edit your /etc/fstab file and add this line:
/swapfile swap swap defaults 0 0
Step 3 - Adjust your system swappiness
A lower swappiness setting means that your system will only "reach" for the swap less often.
sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=10
Step 3 - Ensure that the swappiness settings persist after a reboot
Edit your /etc/sysctl.conf file and add this line:
vm.swappiness=10
Docassemble tends to use less than 1GB of RAM most of the time, however, during an update it can consume more RAM. Having the extra swap file ensures that it can operate without issue during those updates.
