[Linux] Bash pkill Uso: Terminar procesos por nombre

Overview

The pkill command in Bash is used to terminate processes based on their name or other attributes. It allows users to send signals to processes, making it a powerful tool for managing running applications.

Usage

The basic syntax of the pkill command is as follows:

pkill [options] [arguments]

Common Options

• -f: Match against the full command line instead of just the process name.
• -n: Kill the newest process matching the criteria.
• -o: Kill the oldest process matching the criteria.
• -signal: Specify a signal to send (e.g., -9 for SIGKILL).
• -u: Specify the user whose processes to target.

Common Examples

Here are some practical examples of using the pkill command:

1. Terminate a process by name:

   pkill firefox
   

   This command will terminate all instances of Firefox.

2. Terminate a process using a specific signal:

   pkill -9 chrome
   

   This sends the SIGKILL signal to all Chrome processes, forcing them to close immediately.

3. Terminate processes based on a full command line match:

   pkill -f "python script.py"
   

   This will terminate any process running the specified Python script.

4. Kill the newest instance of a process:

   pkill -n ssh
   

   This command will terminate the most recently started SSH session.

5. Terminate processes for a specific user:

   pkill -u username
   

   This will kill all processes owned by the specified user.

Tips

• Always use caution when terminating processes, especially with -9, as it does not allow processes to clean up.
• Use pgrep to preview which processes will be affected by your pkill command before executing it.
• Combine pkill with other commands in scripts for automated process management.