# SIGTERM vs SIGKILL: What’s the Difference?

**Date:** 2026-05-11  
**Author:** Kees C. Bakker  
**Original:** https://keestalkstech.com/notes/sigterm-vs-sigkill-whats-the-difference/

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At Wehkamp, we use containers on our platform. In our of our Tech Sessions, [Robin Wanders (.NET dev)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-wanders-6a60957b/), had a great presentation on the reason why we should do proper SIGTERM handling in our containers. In his presentation he shared this hilarious comic:

![](https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/dont-sigkill1.jpeg)

Please check the [Linux Handbook](https://linuxhandbook.com/sigterm-vs-sigkill/) for more info. The image came from the hilarious [{turnoff.us}](https://turnoff.us/geek/dont-sigkill).