kill Command Generator
Generate kill and killall commands to send signals to processes
Getting Started with kill
## What is kill?
The `kill` command sends signals to processes — most often to terminate them, but signals can also pause, resume, or reload a process. Use `kill` (by PID) when you know the process ID, or switch to `killall` mode to target processes by name.
## How to Use
1. **Pick Mode**: Choose `kill` (target a PID) or `killall` (target by process name). 2. **Choose a Signal**: Default is `TERM` (graceful). Use `KILL` (or `-9`) only when a process ignores TERM. 3. **Set Target**: Enter the PID (kill mode) or process name (killall mode). 4. **Copy & Run**: Copy the generated command into your terminal.
Common Options
### `-s` Signal Specify the signal by name. Default is `TERM`. Common choices: `TERM` (graceful stop), `KILL` (force), `HUP` (reload config), `INT` (Ctrl-C), `STOP`/`CONT` (pause/resume), `USR1`/`USR2` (custom).
### `-9` Force kill (numeric) The SIGKILL shortcut — the kernel kills the process immediately; it cannot be caught or ignored. Last resort when a process is hung.
### `-l` List signals Print all signal names and their numbers. Run `kill -l` to discover what's available on your system.
### `-L` List with codes Like `-l` but in a table with signal numbers — handy for looking up a specific numeric signal.
### `-u` User (killall) Limit `killall` to processes owned by a specific user, e.g. `killall -u www-data nginx`.
### `-i` Interactive (killall) Prompt for confirmation before signaling each matched process — a safety net for destructive actions.
### `-e` Exact match (killall) Match the process name exactly instead of as a substring, avoiding accidental kills of similarly-named processes.
▶When should I use `kill -9` instead of `kill`?
▶How do I reload a daemon's config without restarting it?
▶How do I kill every nginx process at once?
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