What is pkill Linux command?

The pkill command in Linux is a powerful tool used to terminate processes based on their name or other attributes. It provides a convenient way to stop processes without needing to know their ID, offering efficient management of system resources.

pkill Syntax:

pkill [options] [pattern]

pkill Options:

Option	Description
-e, —exact	Match the exact process name
-f, —full	Match against full argument lists
-i, —ignore-case	Ignore case when matching
-x, —pid	Match the processes owned by the specified PIDs
-g, —pgroup	Match the processes in the process group ID specified
-s, —session	Match the processes in the session ID specified
-u, —euid	Match the processes with effective user ID specified
-P, —parent	Match the processes with the specified parent process ID

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
pattern	The pattern to match the process to be killed

pkill Command Usage Examples:

Kill a Process by Name

pkill firefox

Terminates all processes with the name “firefox”.

Kill a Process by PID

pkill -9 12345

Forcibly terminates the process with PID 12345.

Kill a Process Group

pkill -g 54321

Terminates all processes in the process group with GID 54321.

Kill Processes by Username

pkill -u username

Ends all processes owned by the user with the username “username”.

Kill Processes by Signal

pkill -SIGKILL chrome

Sends the SIGKILL signal to terminate all processes with the name “chrome”.

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Applications of the pkill command

Killing a process by name
Terminating multiple processes at once
Providing a more user-friendly alternative to the kill command