DockerCLI/docs/reference/commandline/kill.md

---
title: "kill"
description: "The kill command description and usage"
keywords: ["container, kill, signal"]
---

# kill

```markdown
Usage:  docker kill [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]

Kill one or more running containers

Options:
      --help            Print usage
  -s, --signal string   Signal to send to the container (default "KILL")
```

The main process inside the container will be sent `SIGKILL`, or any
signal specified with option `--signal`.

> **Note:**
> `ENTRYPOINT` and `CMD` in the *shell* form run as a subcommand 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.
-												Convert Markdown frontmatter to YAML

Some frontmatter such as the weights, menu stuff, etc is no longer used
'draft=true' becomes 'published: false'

Signed-off-by: Misty Stanley-Jones <misty@docker.com>

											
										
										
											2016-10-14 18:30:36 -04:00
+								---
 								title: "kill"
 								description: "The kill command description and usage"
 								keywords: ["container, kill, signal"]
 								---
-												Splitting out the cli command into parts.

Signed-off-by: Mary Anthony <mary@docker.com>

											
										
										
											2015-06-21 16:41:38 -04:00
 								# kill
-												Updates on cli reference documentation

- Update ps with `--last` flag
- Update commands with current output
- Make sure hugo does not detect the wrong language
- Update usage for `tag` command to be more coherent with the other ones

Signed-off-by: Vincent Demeester <vincent@sbr.pm>

											
										
										
											2016-07-07 14:43:18 -04:00
+								```markdown
 								Usage:  docker kill [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]
-												Splitting out the cli command into parts.

Signed-off-by: Mary Anthony <mary@docker.com>

											
										
										
											2015-06-21 16:41:38 -04:00
-												update command description in CLI

Signed-off-by: allencloud <allen.sun@daocloud.io>

											
										
										
											2016-07-29 13:41:52 -04:00
+								Kill one or more running containers
-												Splitting out the cli command into parts.

Signed-off-by: Mary Anthony <mary@docker.com>

											
										
										
											2015-06-21 16:41:38 -04:00
-												Updates on cli reference documentation

- Update ps with `--last` flag
- Update commands with current output
- Make sure hugo does not detect the wrong language
- Update usage for `tag` command to be more coherent with the other ones

Signed-off-by: Vincent Demeester <vincent@sbr.pm>

											
										
										
											2016-07-07 14:43:18 -04:00
+								Options:
 								      --help            Print usage
 								  -s, --signal string   Signal to send to the container (default "KILL")
 								```
-												Splitting out the cli command into parts.

Signed-off-by: Mary Anthony <mary@docker.com>

											
										
										
											2015-06-21 16:41:38 -04:00
 								The main process inside the container will be sent `SIGKILL`, or any
 								signal specified with option `--signal`.
-												Update kill.md

Added Note to show users that signals will not propagate to the container if the preferred exec form isn't used.

Signed-off-by: Eric Rosenberg <ehaydenr@gmail.com>

											
										
										
											2015-10-28 14:06:21 -04:00
 								> **Note:**
 								> `ENTRYPOINT` and `CMD` in the *shell* form run as a subcommand 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.