F2FS
also: Flash-Friendly File System
F2FS (Flash-Friendly File System) is a Linux file system optimized for NAND flash storage devices like SSDs and USB drives, designed to reduce write amplification and extend device lifespan.
F2FS addresses the unique characteristics of flash memory, where random writes are much slower than sequential writes and each cell has a limited number of erase cycles. Traditional file systems like ext4 were designed for mechanical hard drives and perform poorly on flash devices.
F2FS uses a log-structured approach, converting random writes into sequential writes to the flash device. It includes garbage collection, wear leveling, and other flash-aware optimizations to minimize write amplification—the ratio of actual flash writes to logical writes requested by the system.
Example: You can format and mount an SSD with F2FS using: mkfs.f2fs /dev/sda1 and mount -t f2fs /dev/sda1 /mnt/data. F2FS is widely used on mobile devices, embedded systems, and increasingly on Linux desktop SSDs.