# docker container kill

**Description:** Kill one or more running containers

**Usage:** `docker container kill [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]`

**Aliases:** `docker kill`








## 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.


## Options

| Option | Default | Description |
|--------|---------|-------------|
| `-s`, `--signal` |  |  Signal to send to the container |



## 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
```

### Send a custom signal to a container (--signal) {#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.