Linux kill Guide

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.

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Table of Contents

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Use sudo:

# Kill other user's process
sudo kill 1234

# Or
sudo kill -9 1234

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Summary

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

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Next Steps

• pkill Guide - Kill by name
• killall Guide - Kill all processes
• Process Management - Process management
• kill Documentation: man kill

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