PageCache is a caching mechanism used by the Linux kernel to store pages of frequently accessed files in memory. This helps to reduce disk I/O and improve system performance by allowing faster access to commonly used data.
When a file is read from disk, the kernel stores the pages containing the data in PageCache. The next time the same file is accessed, the data can be retrieved directly from memory instead of having to go back to the disk. This reduces latency and speeds up operations that require frequent access to large amounts of data.
PageCache can also improve overall system stability by reducing memory pressure. When available memory starts to become scarce, less frequently used pages are automatically evicted from cache to make room for more important data.
Overall, PageCache plays an important role in improving system performance and efficiency by reducing disk I/O and optimizing memory usage.