pkill(1)
NAME
pgrep, pkill - look up or signal processes based on name and other attributes
SYNOPSIS
pgrep [options] pattern pkill [options] pattern
DESCRIPTION
pgrep looks through the currently running processes and lists the
process IDs which match the selection criteria to stdout. All the
criteria have to match. For example,
$ pgrep -u root sshd
will only list the processes called sshd AND owned by root. On the
other hand,
$ pgrep -u root,daemon
will list the processes owned by root OR daemon.
pkill will send the specified signal (by default SIGTERM) to each
process instead of listing them on stdout.
OPTIONS
-signal
--signal signal
Defines the signal to send to each matched process. Either the
numeric or the symbolic signal name can be used. (pkill only.)
-c, --count
Suppress normal output; instead print a count of matching
processes. When count does not match anything, e.g. returns
zero, the command will return non-zero value.
-d, --delimiter delimiter
Sets the string used to delimit each process ID in the output
(by default a newline). (pgrep only.)
-f, --full
The pattern is normally only matched against the process name.
When -f is set, the full command line is used.
-g, --pgroup pgrp,...
Only match processes in the process group IDs listed. Process
group 0 is translated into pgrep's or pkill's own process group.
-G, --group gid,...
Only match processes whose real group ID is listed. Either the
numerical or symbolical value may be used.
-i, --ignore-case
Match processes case-insensitively.
-l, --list-name
List the process name as well as the process ID. (pgrep only.)
-a, --list-full
List the full command line as well as the process ID. (pgrep
only.)
-n, --newest
Select only the newest (most recently started) of the matching
processes.
-o, --oldest
Select only the oldest (least recently started) of the matching
processes.
-P, --parent ppid,...
Only match processes whose parent process ID is listed.
-s, --session sid,...
Only match processes whose process session ID is listed.
Session ID 0 is translated into pgrep's or pkill's own session
ID.
-t, --terminal term,...
Only match processes whose controlling terminal is listed. The
terminal name should be specified without the "/dev/" prefix.
-u, --euid euid,...
Only match processes whose effective user ID is listed. Either
the numerical or symbolical value may be used.
-U, --uid uid,...
Only match processes whose real user ID is listed. Either the
numerical or symbolical value may be used.
-v, --inverse
Negates the matching. This option is usually used in pgrep's
context. In pkill's context the short option is disabled to
avoid accidental usage of the option.
-w, --lightweight
Shows all thread ids instead of pids in pgrep's context. In
pkill's context this option is disabled.
-x, --exact
Only match processes whose names (or command line if -f is
specified) exactly match the pattern.
-F, --pidfile file
Read PID's from file. This option is perhaps more useful for
pkill than pgrep.
-L, --logpidfile
Fail if pidfile (see -F) not locked.
--ns pid
Match processes that belong to the same namespaces. Required to
run as root to match processes from other users. See --nslist
for how to limit which namespaces to match.
--nslist name,...
Match only the provided namespaces. Available namespaces: ipc,
mnt, net, pid, user,uts.
-V, --version
Display version information and exit.
-h, --help
Display help and exit.
OPERANDS
pattern
Specifies an Extended Regular Expression for matching against
the process names or command lines.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Find the process ID of the named daemon:
$ pgrep -u root named
Example 2: Make syslog reread its configuration file:
$ pkill -HUP syslogd
Example 3: Give detailed information on all xterm processes:
$ ps -fp $(pgrep -d, -x xterm)
Example 4: Make all netscape processes run nicer:
$ renice +4 $(pgrep netscape)
EXIT STATUS
0 One or more processes matched the criteria. 1 No processes matched. 2 Syntax error in the command line. 3 Fatal error: out of memory etc.
NOTES
The process name used for matching is limited to the 15 characters present in the output of /proc/pid/stat. Use the -f option to match against the complete command line, /proc/pid/cmdline. The running pgrep or pkill process will never report itself as a match.
BUGS
The options -n and -o and -v can not be combined. Let me know if you need to do this. Defunct processes are reported.
SEE ALSO
ps(1), regex(7), signal(7), killall(1), skill(1), kill(1), kill(2)
AUTHOR
Kjetil Torgrim Homme ⟨kjetilho@ifi.uio.no⟩
REPORTING BUGS
Please send bug reports to ⟨procps@freelists.org⟩
Opportunity
Personal Opportunity - Free software gives you access to billions of dollars of software at no cost. Use this software for your business, personal use or to develop a profitable skill. Access to source code provides access to a level of capabilities/information that companies protect though copyrights. Open source is a core component of the Internet and it is available to you. Leverage the billions of dollars in resources and capabilities to build a career, establish a business or change the world. The potential is endless for those who understand the opportunity.
Business Opportunity - Goldman Sachs, IBM and countless large corporations are leveraging open source to reduce costs, develop products and increase their bottom lines. Learn what these companies know about open source and how open source can give you the advantage.
Free Software
Free Software provides computer programs and capabilities at no cost but more importantly, it provides the freedom to run, edit, contribute to, and share the software. The importance of free software is a matter of access, not price. Software at no cost is a benefit but ownership rights to the software and source code is far more significant.
Free Office Software - The Libre Office suite provides top desktop productivity tools for free. This includes, a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation engine, drawing and flowcharting, database and math applications. Libre Office is available for Linux or Windows.
Free Books
The Free Books Library is a collection of thousands of the most popular public domain books in an online readable format. The collection includes great classical literature and more recent works where the U.S. copyright has expired. These books are yours to read and use without restrictions.
Source Code - Want to change a program or know how it works? Open Source provides the source code for its programs so that anyone can use, modify or learn how to write those programs themselves. Visit the GNU source code repositories to download the source.
Education
Study at Harvard, Stanford or MIT - Open edX provides free online courses from Harvard, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley and other top Universities. Hundreds of courses for almost all major subjects and course levels. Open edx also offers some paid courses and selected certifications.
Linux Manual Pages - A man or manual page is a form of software documentation found on Linux/Unix operating systems. Topics covered include computer programs (including library and system calls), formal standards and conventions, and even abstract concepts.
