FOSSPicks
Process killer
fkill
There are as many ways to kill a process in Linux as there are to start them, and everyone has their favorite. Mine is typing ps aux | grep <process name>
and then killing that process off directly with a cast of the kill -9 <process id>
command, although I also resort to killing via top
if the process is stealing CPU cycles and is difficult to track. Both of these methods have risks associated with them, especially top
, which will let you type k on whatever process happens to be at the top of the CPU stack and kill it with a simple press of the Return key. fkill
is a better alternative that also runs from the command line. What makes it better is that it's interactive. Running it with no arguments will list all the processes you currently have running, and you can cursor through those.
More like a menu, your selected process will attempt to stay in the middle of the selection as you scroll the list up and down. You can also start typing, and fkill
will search for running processes containing your text. When you find the process you're looking for, such as PulseAudio, a simple press of Return is all it takes to kill the process (if you have the permissions), so you still need to be careful, but you can see clearly what you're doing and what's going to happen. One neat feature is that you can enter a process name or ID from the command line to kill that process without the menu. You can also kill a process bound to a specific port by prefixing the port with a colon. It's simple, but it works very well and is well worth replacing your current kill regime, because killing an editor containing your latest novel edits is never fun.
Project Website
https://github.com/sindresorhus/fkill-cli
MIDI editor
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.