`process.kill()`

Sends a signal to a process by PID.

Since Node 0.x Spec ↗

Syntax

process.kill(pid[, signal])

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`pid`	`number`	Yes	The target process ID. A negative value targets a process group.
`signal`	`string \| number`	No	The signal to send (default `'SIGTERM'`). Use `0` to test whether the process exists.

Returns

true — Returns true; throws on failure.

Examples

process.kill(process.pid, 'SIGTERM');

function isAlive(pid) {
  try {
    process.kill(pid, 0);
    return true;
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}
console.log(isAlive(process.pid));

Output

true

Notes

Despite the name it sends any signal, not just KILL. Signal `0` performs an existence/permission check without affecting the target. Sending to a PID you do not own throws `EPERM`.