System and processes

The pidof command

Returns the PID of a program by name. Handy for scripts that need the exact number.

Syntax

pidof programa

Copy-ready examples

$ pidof sshdPID of the SSH server

You can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.

Typical mistakes

  • If there are several instances it returns several numbers; if there are none it prints nothing.

Related commands

pgreppspstree

FAQ

How does it differ from pgrep?

pidof requires the exact name; pgrep searches by pattern.

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