docs/reference/commandline/container_kill.md

# kill

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Kill one or more running containers

### Aliases

`docker container kill`, `docker kill`

### Options

| Name                                   | Type     | Default | Description                     |
|:---------------------------------------|:---------|:--------|:--------------------------------|
| [`-s`](#signal), [`--signal`](#signal) | `string` |         | Signal to send to the container |


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## Description

The `docker kill` subcommand kills one or more containers. The main process
inside the container is sent `SIGKILL` signal (default), or the signal that is
specified with the `--signal` option. You can reference a container by its
ID, ID-prefix, or name.

The `--signal` flag sets the system call signal that is sent to the container.
This signal can be a signal name in the format `SIG<NAME>`, for instance `SIGINT`,
or an unsigned number that matches a position in the kernel's syscall table,
for instance `2`.

While the default (`SIGKILL`) signal will terminate the container, the signal
set through `--signal` may be non-terminal, depending on the container's main
process. For example, the `SIGHUP` signal in most cases will be non-terminal,
and the container will continue running after receiving the signal.

> [!NOTE]
> `ENTRYPOINT` and `CMD` in the *shell* form run as a child process of
> `/bin/sh -c`, which does not pass signals. This means that the executable is
> not the container’s PID 1 and does not receive Unix signals.

## Examples


### Send a KILL signal to a container

The following example sends the default `SIGKILL` signal to the container named
`my_container`:

```console
$ docker kill my_container
```

### <a name="signal"></a> Send a custom signal to a container (--signal)

The following example sends a `SIGHUP` signal to the container named
`my_container`:

```console
$ docker kill --signal=SIGHUP  my_container
```


You can specify a custom signal either by _name_, or _number_. The `SIG` prefix
is optional, so the following examples are equivalent:

```console
$ docker kill --signal=SIGHUP my_container
$ docker kill --signal=HUP my_container
$ docker kill --signal=1 my_container
```

Refer to the [`signal(7)`](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/signal.7.html)
man-page for a list of standard Linux signals.