What is Localepurge?
localepurge is a utility program for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems that removes unused language locale data from the system. By default, most Linux distributions come with locale data for many different languages installed, even if only one or two languages are actually needed on that system.
Having lots of unused locale data takes up extra disk space. localepurge scans through all files on the system looking for locale data, figures out which locales are actually being used, and removes the locale files for any other languages not needed. This can free up a considerable amount of disk space.
Some of the main features and functions of localepurge include:
- Scans for unused locale data in programs, libraries, and data files
- Creates a list of used/unused locales based on system configuration
- Safely removes unused locale files to save disk space
- Keeps a custom whitelist of additional locales to keep if desired
- Runs automatically via cron to keep unused locales purged
localepurge is a useful utility for any Linux or Unix-like system where only one or two languages are needed for users. It helps slim down bloated locale data that accumulates from software packages and keeps systems running lean by removing unneeded language files.