Process Management API

name: Process Management API
description: System calls for process creation, execution, termination, and control.
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
humanURL: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/fork.2.html
baseURL: system://unix/process
tags:
- Execution
- Processes
- Scheduling
properties:
- type: Documentation
  url: https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/fork.html
- type: GettingStarted
  url: https://sourceware.org/glibc/manual/
- type: APIReference
  url: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/fork.2.html
operations:
- name: fork
  description: Create a new process by duplicating the calling process
  parameters: []
  returns: PID of child (in parent), 0 (in child), -1 on error
- name: exec
  description: Execute a program (family of functions - execl, execv, execve, etc.)
  parameters:
  - pathname
  - argv
  - envp
  returns: does not return on success, -1 on error
- name: wait
  description: Wait for process to change state
  parameters:
  - status
  returns: PID of terminated child
- name: waitpid
  description: Wait for specific process to change state
  parameters:
  - pid
  - status
  - options
  returns: PID of child
- name: exit
  description: Terminate the calling process
  parameters:
  - status
  returns: does not return
- name: _exit
  description: Terminate the calling process immediately without cleanup
  parameters:
  - status
  returns: does not return
- name: getpid
  description: Get process ID
  parameters: []
  returns: process ID
- name: getppid
  description: Get parent process ID
  parameters: []
  returns: parent process ID
- name: kill
  description: Send signal to a process
  parameters:
  - pid
  - sig
  returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- name: nice
  description: Change process priority
  parameters:
  - inc
  returns: new nice value
- name: setpgid
  description: Set process group ID
  parameters:
  - pid
  - pgid
  returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- name: getpgid
  description: Get process group ID
  parameters:
  - pid
  returns: process group ID
- name: setsid
  description: Create a new session and set process group ID
  parameters: []
  returns: session ID of new session
- name: getrlimit
  description: Get resource limits for the process
  parameters:
  - resource
  - rlim
  returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- name: setrlimit
  description: Set resource limits for the process
  parameters:
  - resource
  - rlim
  returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- name: alarm
  description: Set an alarm clock for delivery of a signal
  parameters:
  - seconds
  returns: remaining seconds of previous alarm
- name: pause
  description: Wait for a signal
  parameters: []
  returns: -1 with errno set to EINTR
- name: posix_spawn
  description: Spawn a new process without fork (POSIX.1-2001)
  parameters:
  - pid
  - path
  - file_actions
  - attrp
  - argv
  - envp
  returns: 0 on success, error number on failure