Killing a process in Linux from the command line is a fundamental skill for managing system resources and troubleshooting applications. This guide will cover the steps to identify and terminate processes using different commands.
Step 1: Identify the Process
Before you can kill a method, you want to discover its Process ID (PID). You can use numerous commands to listing running methods:
Using ps Command
The ps command shows information about the active process. Use the following command to list all techniques:
ps aux
This shows a comprehensive chart that shows all the trends. Find the process you want to kill and check its PID.
Using top Command
The top command provides a real-time view of the run processes. Just run:
top
Press q to exit the top interface. Check the PID of the event you want to end.
Using pgrep Command
The pgrep command requires a list of processes. For example, to check the PID of a process called apache2:
pgrep apache2
Step 2: Kill the Process
Once you know the PID of a process, you can stop it with the kill command.
Using kill Command
The kill command sends a signal to terminate the manner. The maximum commonplace signal is -nine (SIGKILL), which forces the process to stop right now. For instance, if you kill a system with PID 1234:
kill -9 1234
Using pkill Command
The pkill command lets you to kill a listing of approaches. For instance, to kill all processes named apache2:
pkill apache2
Using killall Command
The killall command terminates all techniques with a distinct name. For example, to kill all times of apache2:
killall apache2
Step 3: Verify the Process Termination
After issuing the kill command, it’s a good practice to verify that the steps has been terminated. You can use the ps, top, or pgrep commands to ensure the process is no longer running.
Killing a process in Linux means identifying the process by its PID or name and using commands such as kill, pkill, and killall to terminate it. These commands are essential tools for system administrators and users to efficiently manage usage and troubleshoot problems.