{"product_id":"low-level-linux-amara-hawthorn-9798244306668","title":"Low-Level Linux: Memory, Syscalls, and Performance Tuning from the Metal Up","description":"\u003cp\u003eModern applications live or die by performance, reliability, and efficiency - yet most developers never truly understand what happens after their code hits the kernel. \u003ci\u003eLow-Level Linux\u003c\/i\u003e takes you beneath abstractions and frameworks and into the machinery that actually runs your software.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is a practical, deeply technical guide to how Linux works \u003cb\u003efrom the metal up\u003c\/b\u003e - from virtual memory and page tables to syscalls, scheduling, and performance tuning at scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether you're optimizing high-throughput systems, debugging impossible latency spikes, or preparing for kernel-level work, this book gives you the mental models used by elite systems engineers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou will learn how Linux \u003ci\u003ereally\u003c\/i\u003e behaves under load - not just how it's supposed to.\u003c\/p\u003eInside you'll master: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow Linux virtual memory actually works\u003cbr\u003e(paging, MMUs, TLBs, NUMA, and page faults demystified)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe full syscall lifecycle\u003cbr\u003efrom user space → kernel → hardware → back again\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow context switching, scheduling, and interrupts impact latency\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eMemory allocation internals\u003cbr\u003e(slab, slub, vmalloc, brk, mmap)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eCPU caches, false sharing, and cache-line-level optimization\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiagnosing real performance problems using\u003cbr\u003eperf, ftrace, strace, bcc, and eBPF\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy \"fast code\" is often slow - and how to prove it\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow to reason about performance using first principles, not guesswork\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eWho this book is for: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoftware engineers ready to go beyond frameworks\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eLinux users who want to understand what their system is truly doing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eBackend, infrastructure, and systems engineers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerformance engineers and SREs\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnyone who wants to think like the kernel does\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo fluff. No hand-waving. Just real Linux internals explained clearly, visually, and practically.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Amara Hawthorn\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798244306668\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 170\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.52lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.36d","brand":"Amara Hawthorn","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48242141200639,"sku":"9798244306668","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fa6e09c8-0b95-474d-b087-22372c7532f4.jpg?v=1772657767","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/low-level-linux-amara-hawthorn-9798244306668","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}