Can you explain the difference between ‘kill’ and ‘pkill’ commands in Unix, and when would you use each one?

Explanation of 'kill' and 'pkill' commands in Unix

Kill Command: The 'kill' command in Unix is used to terminate a process by sending a signal to its process ID (PID). It is commonly used to stop a running process that is misbehaving or consuming too many resources. The default signal sent by the 'kill' command is SIGTERM, which allows the process to gracefully shut down.

Pkill Command: The 'pkill' command in Unix is used to send a signal to one or more processes based on their names or other attributes rather than their PIDs. This can be useful when you want to stop all processes that match a certain criteria, such as a specific process name or user.

When to use each command:

• Use the 'kill' command when you know the PID of the process you want to terminate.
• Use the 'pkill' command when you want to stop one or more processes based on their name or other attributes, without knowing their PIDs.

Overall, understanding the difference between the 'kill' and 'pkill' commands in Unix allows an administrator to effectively manage and control processes on a Unix system.