What command-line tool would you use for partitioning on a system where you want to align disk partitions with physical block sizes?

The command-line tool that is best suited for partitioning on a system while ensuring that disk partitions align with physical block sizes is parted. This tool provides advanced capabilities for managing disk partitions, including the ability to specify partition alignment and understand the geometry of the disk.

Parted supports aligning partitions to physical block sizes, which is crucial for optimizing performance, especially with modern storage devices like SSDs and HDDs. Proper alignment can improve read and write speeds, prolong the life of SSDs, and prevent performance degradation. The user interface of parted allows for specifying units for alignment, making it more flexible for managing different types of storage.

While tools like gdisk, fdisk, and cfdisk are used for partitioning as well, they have limitations regarding alignment features. Gdisk is primarily for GPT partitions, fdisk is mainly suitable for MBR partitioning and does not focus on modern alignment techniques, while cfdisk provides a simple user interface for partitioning without the advanced options required for block alignment considerations. Therefore, parted is the most appropriate choice for achieving optimal partition alignment.