A .swp file is created when we open a file in Vim/Vi text editor. It stores a recovery version of the file being edited. The swap files are saved in the same directory as the original file, with a .sw...
A .swp file is created when we open a file in Vim/Vi text editor. It stores a recovery version of the file being edited. The swap files are saved in the same directory as the original file, with a .swp extension. For example, text file example.txt would have a swap file named .example.txt.swp.
If the editor aborts, the .swp file remains. This allows recovering data using the “(R)ecover” option when reopening the file. If the original file was modified since last save, the recovery process blends changes from both files.
Swap files allow operating systems to use disk storage for data not fitting into RAM. This is called paging or swapping. It transfers pages between main memory and disk. Paging is built into most OS kernels.
You cannot open .swp files directly. They are not meant to be accessed by users. These files also cannot be converted – they are automatically generated for memory paging needs.
When a system runs low on RAM, it uses swap space on disk to free up RAM for important processes. This simulates additional RAM using disk space.
