Linux Pkill

pkill is a powerful Linux command that is used to kill processes based on their name, user, group, or other attributes. It is an effective tool for managing processes that are unresponsive or are causing issues with system performance.

Syntax

The basic syntax for pkill is as follows:

pkill [options] <process-name>

• process-name: The name of the process to be killed.

Common Options

Here are some commonly used options with pkill:

• -u <username>: Kill processes owned by a specific user.
• -t <terminal>: Kill processes running on the given terminal.
• -f: Match against full argument lists.
• -e: Match against processes with the exact given name.

Examples

Here are some examples of how to use pkill:

• Kill all processes named chrome:

  pkill chrome
  

• Kill all processes owned by the user john:

  pkill -u john
  

• Kill all processes running on terminal tty1:

  pkill -t tty1
  

• Kill all processes with the exact name httpd:

  pkill -e httpd
  

Conclusion

pkill is a powerful tool for managing processes on a Linux system. It can be used to kill processes based on their name, user, group, or other attributes. With the right options, it can help keep your system running smoothly and prevent issues caused by unresponsive or problematic processes.