Answer
docker stop sends SIGTERM for graceful shutdown, while docker kill sends SIGKILL for immediate forced termination.
Quick Answer
docker stop sends SIGTERM, giving the container's process time to shut down gracefully — it can save state, close connections, finish in-flight work. After a timeout (default 10s), it sends SIGKILL. docker kill immediately sends SIGKILL — instant termination with no cleanup. Always prefer stop for production workloads.
S
SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ