Linux for Developers
/Intermediate
killall
Definition
A command that kills processes by their exact name, rather than their numeric Process ID (PID). It sends a signal to every single process sharing that name.
Explain Like I'm New
The shotgun. Instead of looking up 5 different ID numbers to kill 5 Python scripts, you just say 'Kill everything named Python'.
Real World Example
You accidentally started 10 background instances of the `nginx` web server. Finding and killing all 10 PIDs manually would take forever. You type `killall nginx`, and all 10 are terminated instantly.
Common Use Cases
- •Bulk terminating identical processes
Interview Questions
basic
- What happens if you type `killall python` but accidentally spell it `killall pyhton`?
intermediate
- Why is running `killall` generally considered dangerous on a shared production server?