An inode is the record a Linux filesystem keeps for each file and folder. Inode usage is simply how many files and folders your account has, regardless of their size.
A 1GB video uses one inode. A cache folder of 100,000 tiny files uses 100,000.
What uses lots of inodes
- Cache plugins that store each page variation as a separate file
- Email — each message is a separate file
- Session files from PHP applications
- Old backups and extracted archives left on the server
node_modulesorvendorfolders uploaded unnecessarily- Thumbnail sizes generated for every uploaded image
Why it matters
Huge numbers of small files slow backups, file operations and searches, and shared hosting applies fair-use limits to file counts. Understanding your hosting limits
Finding where they are
In System Info & Files then File Manager, folders with enormous numbers of items stand out when opened. Typical suspects: wp-content/cache, imap (email), tmp.
Reducing inode usage
- Clear or reconfigure cache plugins; set cache expiry
- Empty Trash and Junk folders in mailboxes
- Delete old backup folders and extracted archives
- Don’t upload
node_modules; upload only the build output (Hosting static sites and JavaScript framework builds) - Remove unused plugins, themes and staging copies