When Memory Runs Out: The OOM Killer's Role in Linux System Survival

OOM Killer silently terminates applications when system memory is exhausted, causing unpredictable crashes and potential data loss on VPS platforms. Understanding how the Linux kernel's oom_score mechanism selects processes for termination is essential for maintaining stable production environments. As workloads grow increasingly complex in 2026, mastering memory management has become a critical differentiator for reliable application deployment and system availability.