Operation and Maintenance
Linux Operation and Maintenance
How to kill a process in Linux by name or PID? (kill & pkill)
How to kill a process in Linux by name or PID? (kill & pkill)
使用kill命令通过PID终止进程，pkill通过名称或模式匹配进程；优先尝试SIGTERM信号，避免滥用SIGKILL；服务应使用systemctl管理。
To kill a process in Linux, you can use either its PID (process ID) with kill, or its name (or other attributes) with pkill. Both are fast and built-in — no extra tools needed.
Using kill by PID
kill sends a signal (default: SIGTERM) to a process identified by its numeric PID. You’ll need the PID first — get it with ps, pgrep, or pidof.
- Find the PID:
pgrep firefoxorpidof chrome - Send default termination signal:
kill 12345 - Force quit if it’s unresponsive:
kill -9 12345(SIGKILLcan’t be ignored) - Check if it’s gone:
kill -0 12345returns exit code 0 if still running, 1 if not
Using pkill by name or pattern
pkill matches processes by name, user, command line, or other attributes — no manual PID lookup needed.
- Kill all matching processes by name:
pkill python3 - Match full command line (e.g., only scripts named “server.py”):
pkill -f "python3 server.py" - Target processes owned by a specific user:
pkill -u john nginx - See what would be killed without acting:
pkill -f "node" -echo(if supported) or combine withpgrep -f "node"
Safer alternatives: killall and systemctl
killall works like pkill but matches exact executable names only — less flexible but more predictable.
-
killall firefoxkills all Firefox processes -
killall -i javaasks for confirmation before killing each match
For services managed by systemd, prefer systemctl:
-
systemctl stop nginx(clean service stop) -
systemctl kill --signal=SIGUSR2 myapp.service(send custom signal)
What to avoid
Don’t use kill -9 unless necessary — it skips cleanup and can corrupt data. Always try plain kill first. Also avoid wildcards like pkill -f ".*" — it may kill critical system processes.
Basically, use kill when you have the PID and want precision. Use pkill when you know the name or pattern and want speed. Keep it targeted, check first, and escalate signals only when needed.
The above is the detailed content of How to kill a process in Linux by name or PID? (kill & pkill). For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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