Linux Command: pkill
Signal processes by name, user, or other attributes instead of PID
Terminal — Process Management
Command
$
pkill -HUP -u www-data nginx
Output
(sends SIGHUP to all nginx processes owned by www-data to reload config)
pkill sends signals to processes matched by name pattern, user, terminal, or other criteria — no more hunting for PIDs. Companion commands pgrep (list matching) and pidof (exact name) round out the toolkit.
Common signals: -HUP (reload), -TERM (graceful stop), -KILL (force).