ext4 vs. XFS: Comparing Linux File Systems

Featureext4XFS
DesignGeneral-purpose, simple, for desktops/small serversAdvanced, for enterprise/large systems
PerformanceGood for general workloadsExcellent for large files/heavy I/O
Max File Size16 Terabytes8 Exabytes
Max Partition Size1 Exabyte8 Exabytes
JournalingSupported, slower recoveryAdvanced, faster recovery
Metadata ManagementSimple, slower for large directoriesDynamic, optimized for large directories
FeaturesBasic, no compression/snapshotSupports snapshots, RAID-optimized
Use CasesDesktops, small servers, general useLarge servers, databases, storage
DrawbacksWeaker for large data volumesMore complex, higher resource use