What is the difference between KILL and STOP commands?

docker STOP command issues a SIGTERM signal to the main process running within the container, while KILL command issues a SIGKILL signal to the process

KILL and STOP are two commands in docker used to stop a container from execution. A docker STOP command issues a SIGTERM signal to the main process running within the container, while KILL command issues a SIGKILL signal to the process.

  • docker STOP leads to a safe exit
  • docker KILL leads to an unsafe exit
  • if a process doesn’t exit for a STOP command within a specified timeout, docker issues a KILL command implicitly.
> docker stop|kill <container_id>
Ram
Ram

I'm a full-stack developer and a software enthusiast who likes to play around with cloud and tech stack out of curiosity. You can connect with me on Medium, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Privacy Overview
Referbruv

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.