[Linux] Bash killall Uso: Termina procesos por nombre

Overview

The killall command in Bash is used to terminate processes by their name. Unlike the kill command, which requires a process ID (PID), killall allows you to specify the name of the process you want to stop, making it easier to manage multiple instances of the same application.

Usage

The basic syntax of the killall command is as follows:

killall [options] [arguments]

Common Options

• -u <user>: Only kill processes owned by the specified user.
• -i: Prompt for confirmation before killing each process.
• -q: Suppress error messages for processes that do not exist.
• -r: Use regular expressions to match process names.
• -s <signal>: Specify a signal to send to the processes (default is TERM).

Common Examples

Here are some practical examples of using the killall command:

1. Terminate all instances of a process by name:

   killall firefox
   

2. Kill all processes owned by a specific user:

   killall -u username
   

3. Prompt for confirmation before killing each process:

   killall -i chrome
   

4. Use a regular expression to match process names:

   killall -r 'python.*'
   

5. Send a specific signal to a process (e.g., SIGKILL):

   killall -s KILL apache2
   

Tips

• Always double-check the process name before using killall, as it will terminate all matching processes without confirmation (unless the -i option is used).
• Use the -q option to avoid cluttering your terminal with error messages if some processes are not found.
• Consider using pgrep in combination with killall for more complex process management tasks, such as filtering processes based on additional criteria.