Explain Why du and df Report Different Disk Usage

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Quick Overview

Explain why Linux `du` and `df` can report very different disk usage, then outline a safe investigation that distinguishes deleted open files, mount issues, reserved blocks, and other credible causes.

Explain Why du and df Report Different Disk Usage

Company: Hudson River Trading

Role: Site Reliability Engineer

Category: Software Engineering Fundamentals

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Technical Screen

Overview: Explain why Linux `du` and `df` can report very different disk usage, then outline a safe investigation that distinguishes deleted open files, mount issues, reserved blocks, and other credible causes.

Read the full Hudson River Trading Site Reliability Engineer interview experience this question came from

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Hudson River Trading
Aug 16, 2026
mediumSite Reliability EngineerTechnical ScreenSoftware Engineering Fundamentals
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