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Processes

kill

Sends a signal to a process.

kill does not only kill; it sends signals. The default TERM signal asks a process to exit cleanly.

Syntax
kill [signal] PID...

Arguments explained

  • PID is the process ID.
  • -TERM asks for normal termination.
  • -KILL forces immediate termination.
  • -HUP often asks daemons to reload configuration.

Common examples

Ask a process to exit
kill 1234

Sends SIGTERM to PID 1234.

Force stop only as a last resort
kill -KILL 1234

Sends SIGKILL, which cannot be caught for cleanup.

kill Command
FieldDetails
Commandkill
CategoryProcesses
Primary useSends a signal to a process.
Syntaxkill [signal] PID...

Related articles

pkill

Sends signals to processes matched by name or attributes.

ps

Reports current processes.

systemctl

Controls systemd services and system state.