zt-process-killer
A Java library for reliably stopping processes with cross-platform graceful and forceful termination.
What is zt-process-killer?
ZT Process Killer is a Java library that provides a reliable and cross-platform solution for stopping running processes. It solves the ambiguity of Java's native `Process.destroy()` method by offering consistent graceful and forceful termination across Windows and UNIX systems. The library abstracts both Java-started processes and system processes via PID, ensuring robust process management.
Java developers who need to manage external processes in applications, particularly those requiring cross-platform compatibility, such as build tools, CI/CD pipelines, or server applications.
Developers choose ZT Process Killer for its stable, well-tested API that simplifies process termination, eliminates platform-specific quirks, and provides features like timeout support and idempotent operations, reducing common errors in process management.
Overview
ZeroTurnaround Process Killer
Use Cases
Best For
- Stopping processes gracefully in cross-platform Java applications
- Managing external processes in CI/CD pipelines
- Handling process timeouts and forceful termination in server applications
- Integrating process management into build tools like Maven or Gradle
- Writing reliable integration tests that spawn and clean up external processes
- Abstracting system process management via PID in Java
Not Ideal For
- Projects needing access to process output streams or exit codes for system processes
- Applications requiring comprehensive child process management on non-Windows platforms
- Scenarios where minimal dependencies are critical and platform-specific code is acceptable
- Real-time process monitoring or interactive process control beyond termination
Pros & Cons
Pros
Solves the ambiguity of Java's native Process.destroy() by providing consistent graceful and forceful termination across Windows and UNIX systems, as highlighted in the motivation section.
Offers a single API for both Java-started processes and system processes via PID, using SystemProcess and PidProcess classes for seamless management.
All waiting methods include versions with and without timeouts, allowing precise control over process termination, as specified in the non-functional requirements.
Stopping a process that has already finished is treated as a success, reducing errors in cleanup code and improving reliability.
Cons
For system processes identified by PID, the library cannot access input/output streams or exit values, limiting use cases that require full process interaction.
Child process handling is only available on Windows via setIncludeChildren in WindowsProcess, with no equivalent feature for UNIX systems.
Introduces an external library dependency for functionality that might be handled with custom, lightweight platform-specific code in simpler projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
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