What is the function of the 'sigterm' signal?

The 'sigterm' signal, formally known as SIGTERM, serves the purpose of gracefully requesting a process to terminate. When a process receives this signal, it is given the opportunity to clean up resources, save data, and perform any necessary finalization tasks before it shuts down. This gentle approach allows applications to terminate safely and prevents potential data corruption or loss that might result from an abrupt shutdown.

In contrast, other signals like SIGKILL would immediately terminate a process without giving it a chance to perform cleanup, which is typically not desirable in many situations. Understanding the behavior of SIGTERM is important for managing processes effectively, especially when developing software that requires proper resource management.