SIGTERM vs SIGKILL: Graceful vs Forced Process Termination

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:26:50 +0900

Overview

SIGTERM and SIGKILL are both Unix signals used to stop a running process, but they differ in whether the process gets a chance to clean up after itself. SIGTERM asks a process to terminate and lets it run its own shutdown logic, while SIGKILL is an unconditional kernel-level termination that the process cannot intercept or delay. The distinction matters for avoiding data corruption, leaked resources, and orphaned locks during shutdown.

Unix on IT Comparison

SIGTERM vs SIGKILL: Graceful vs Forced Process Termination

Overview