1PGREP(1) User Commands PGREP(1)
2
6 pgrep, pkill, pidwait - look up, signal, or wait for processes based on
7 name and other attributes
8
10 pgrep [options] pattern
11 pkill [options] pattern
12 pidwait [options] pattern
13
15 pgrep looks through the currently running processes and lists the
16 process IDs which match the selection criteria to stdout. All the cri‐
17 teria have to match. For example,
18 $ pgrep -u root sshd
20 will only list the processes called sshd AND owned by root. On the
22 other hand,
23 $ pgrep -u root,daemon
25 will list the processes owned by root OR daemon.
27 pkill will send the specified signal (by default SIGTERM) to each
29 process instead of listing them on stdout.
30 pidwait will wait for each process instead of listing them on stdout.
32
34 -signal
35 --signal signal
36 Defines the signal to send to each matched process. Either the
37 numeric or the symbolic signal name can be used. (pkill only.)
38 -c, --count
40 Suppress normal output; instead print a count of matching pro‐
41 cesses. When count does not match anything, e.g. returns zero,
42 the command will return non-zero value. Note that for pkill and
43 pidwait, the count is the number of matching processes, not the
44 processes that were successfully signaled or waited for.
45 -d, --delimiter delimiter
47 Sets the string used to delimit each process ID in the output
48 (by default a newline). (pgrep only.)
49 -e, --echo
51 Display name and PID of the process being killed. (pkill only.)
52 -f, --full
54 The pattern is normally only matched against the process name.
55 When -f is set, the full command line is used.
56 -g, --pgroup pgrp,...
58 Only match processes in the process group IDs listed. Process
59 group 0 is translated into pgrep's, pkill's, or pidwait's own
60 process group.
61 -G, --group gid,...
63 Only match processes whose real group ID is listed. Either the
64 numerical or symbolical value may be used.
65 -i, --ignore-case
67 Match processes case-insensitively.
68 -l, --list-name
70 List the process name as well as the process ID. (pgrep only.)
71 -a, --list-full
73 List the full command line as well as the process ID. (pgrep
74 only.)
75 -n, --newest
77 Select only the newest (most recently started) of the matching
78 processes.
79 -o, --oldest
81 Select only the oldest (least recently started) of the matching
82 processes.
83 -O, --older secs
85 Select processes older than secs.
86 -P, --parent ppid,...
88 Only match processes whose parent process ID is listed.
89 -s, --session sid,...
91 Only match processes whose process session ID is listed. Ses‐
92 sion ID 0 is translated into pgrep's, pkill's, or pidwait's own
93 session ID.
94 -t, --terminal term,...
96 Only match processes whose controlling terminal is listed. The
97 terminal name should be specified without the "/dev/" prefix.
98 -u, --euid euid,...
100 Only match processes whose effective user ID is listed. Either
101 the numerical or symbolical value may be used.
102 -U, --uid uid,...
104 Only match processes whose real user ID is listed. Either the
105 numerical or symbolical value may be used.
106 -v, --inverse
108 Negates the matching. This option is usually used in pgrep's or
109 pidwait's context. In pkill's context the short option is dis‐
110 abled to avoid accidental usage of the option.
111 -w, --lightweight
113 Shows all thread ids instead of pids in pgrep's or pidwait's
114 context. In pkill's context this option is disabled.
115 -x, --exact
117 Only match processes whose names (or command lines if -f is
118 specified) exactly match the pattern.
119 -F, --pidfile file
121 Read PIDs from file. This option is more useful for pkillorpid‐
122 wait than pgrep.
123 -L, --logpidfile
125 Fail if pidfile (see -F) not locked.
126 -r, --runstates D,R,S,Z,...
128 Match only processes which match the process state.
129 --ns pid
131 Match processes that belong to the same namespaces. Required to
132 run as root to match processes from other users. See --nslist
133 for how to limit which namespaces to match.
134 --nslist name,...
136 Match only the provided namespaces. Available namespaces: ipc,
137 mnt, net, pid, user,uts.
138 -q, --queue value
140 Use sigqueue(3) rather than kill(2) and the value argument is
141 used to specify an integer to be sent with the signal. If the
142 receiving process has installed a handler for this signal using
143 the SA_SIGINFO flag to sigaction(2) , then it can obtain this
144 data via the si_value field of the siginfo_t structure.
145 -V, --version
147 Display version information and exit.
148 -h, --help
150 Display help and exit.
151
153 pattern
154 Specifies an Extended Regular Expression for matching against
155 the process names or command lines.
156
158 Example 1: Find the process ID of the named daemon:
159 $ pgrep -u root named
161 Example 2: Make syslog reread its configuration file:
163 $ pkill -HUP syslogd
165 Example 3: Give detailed information on all xterm processes:
167 $ ps -fp $(pgrep -d, -x xterm)
169 Example 4: Make all chrome processes run nicer:
171 $ renice +4 $(pgrep chrome)
173
175 0 One or more processes matched the criteria. For pkill and pid‐
176 wait, one or more processes must also have been successfully
177 signalled or waited for.
178 1 No processes matched or none of them could be signalled.
179 2 Syntax error in the command line.
180 3 Fatal error: out of memory etc.
181
183 The process name used for matching is limited to the 15 characters
184 present in the output of /proc/pid/stat. Use the -f option to match
185 against the complete command line, /proc/pid/cmdline.
186 The running pgrep, pkill, or pidwait process will never report itself
188 as a match.
189
191 The options -n and -o and -v can not be combined. Let me know if you
192 need to do this.
193 Defunct processes are reported.
195
198 ps(1), regex(7), signal(7), sigqueue(3), killall(1), skill(1), kill(1),
199 kill(2)
200
202 Kjetil Torgrim Homme ⟨kjetilho@ifi.uio.no⟩
203
205 Please send bug reports to ⟨procps@freelists.org⟩
206procps-ng 2020-06-04 PGREP(1)