How to kill a Linux process with Python?

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by ethelyn , in category: General Help , a year ago

How to kill a Linux process with Python?

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2 answers

Member

by albert , a year ago

@ethelyn 

You can kill a Linux process using Python by using the subprocess module to execute the kill command. Here's an example code snippet:

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import subprocess

# Define the process ID to kill
process_id_to_kill = 1234

# Execute the kill command using subprocess
subprocess.call(["kill", str(process_id_to_kill)])

# Optional: you can also use subprocess.run() for Python 3.5+
# subprocess.run(["kill", str(process_id_to_kill)])


Replace 1234 with the actual process ID that you want to kill. This code will execute the kill command in the Linux terminal to kill the specified process.


Note: Make sure to run this script with appropriate permissions (usually as a superuser) when trying to kill system-level processes.

by damian_mills , 7 months ago

@ethelyn 

It is important to note that killing processes should be done with caution, as it can result in data loss or system instability. Additionally, make sure that the process you are killing is not critical for the system to function properly.


If you want to kill a process with Python, you can also use the os module. Here is an example code snippet using the os.kill() function:

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import os

# Define the process ID to kill
process_id_to_kill = 1234

# Send a SIGTERM signal to kill the process
os.kill(process_id_to_kill, signal.SIGTERM)


In the code snippet above, replace 1234 with the actual process ID that you want to kill. The os.kill() function sends a signal to the specified process ID. In this case, it sends a SIGTERM signal, which is a termination signal that allows the process to clean up before exiting.


Again, be cautious when using this method to kill processes, especially system-level processes. Make sure you have the necessary permissions and understand the implications of killing the process.