SIGKILL

Definitions

1. Unix signal 9 — the unblockable, uncatchable signal that immediately terminates a process. When SIGTERM (the polite request to stop) is ignored, SIGKILL is the nuclear option. The process gets no chance to clean up.

   In plain English: The most forceful way to stop a program on Linux/Unix — it can't be ignored or caught, the program just dies immediately.

Related Terms

• Daemon
• Zombie Process
• Kernel
• POSIX
• Signal Handler
• Unix Domain Socket
• Unix Socket