kill

NAME

kill - terminate or signal a process

kill -s signal_name pid...
kill -signal_name pid...
kill -signal_number pid...
kill -l | -m]

This command is a built-in command in the C shell and the Korn shell as well as an external command (/bin/kill).

The kill(1) utility sends the TERM signal to the processes specified by the pid operand(s).

Only a process with appropriate privileges can send signals to other users' processes.

The options are as follows:

-l: List symbolic signal names. In the Korn shell, kill -l lists mapping between signal numbers and signal names, while kill -l signal_number lists the signal name corresponding to signal_number.
-m: In /bin/kill, lists mapping between signal numbers and signal names.
-s signal_name: A symbolic signal name specifying the signal to be sent instead of the default TERM. The -l option displays the signal names.
-signal_name: Equivalent to -s signal_name.
-signal_number: A non-negative decimal integer, specifying the signal to be sent instead of the default TERM.

Some of the more commonly used signals are as follows:

1	SIGHUP	(hangup)
2	SIGINT	(interrupt)
3	SIGQUIT	(quit)
6	SIGABRT	(abort)
9	SIGKILL	(non-catchable, non-ignorable kill)
14	SIGALRM	(alarm clock)
15	SIGTERM	(software termination signal)

The kill(1) utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.