SIGTERM Signal Explained (Signal 15)
What the Linux SIGTERM signal does and when it's used.
Published October 23, 2026
SIGTERM (signal number 15) requests a process terminate gracefully, giving it a chance to clean up before exiting.
Key points
- The default signal sent by the plain kill command
- A well-behaved process catches SIGTERM to close files, finish in-flight work, and shut down cleanly