Linux kill Guide - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Linux kill Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to kill on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including terminating processes, sending signals, and process management.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding kill
  2. kill Basics
  3. Sending Signals
  4. Process Termination
  5. Troubleshooting

Understanding kill

What is kill?

kill sends signals to processes.

Uses:

  • Terminate processes: Stop processes
  • Send signals: Send various signals
  • Process control: Control processes
  • Force kill: Force process termination

Why it matters:

  • Process control: Control running processes
  • Troubleshooting: Stop stuck processes
  • System management: Manage system processes

kill Basics

Kill Process

Basic usage:

# Kill process by PID
kill 1234

# Sends TERM signal (default)

By Name

Kill by name:

# Kill by name (use pkill)
pkill process-name

# Or killall
killall process-name

Sending Signals

Common Signals

Signal types:

# TERM (terminate, default)
kill 1234

# KILL (force kill)
kill -9 1234
kill -KILL 1234

# HUP (hangup)
kill -1 1234
kill -HUP 1234

# INT (interrupt)
kill -2 1234
kill -INT 1234

Signal List

List signals:

# List all signals
kill -l

# Shows signal numbers and names

Process Termination

Force Kill

Kill forcefully:

# Force kill
kill -9 1234

# -9 = KILL signal (cannot be ignored)

Graceful Termination

Terminate gracefully:

# Try TERM first
kill 1234

# Wait, then force if needed
sleep 2
kill -9 1234

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Use sudo:

# Kill other user's process
sudo kill 1234

# Or
sudo kill -9 1234

Summary

This guide covered kill usage, signal sending, and process termination for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.