applescript_kill_process_on_port.md•2.39 kB
# AppleScript: Kill Process on Port
This document shows how to find and terminate a process that is listening on a specific network port using AppleScript. This is particularly useful for developers who need to free up ports being used by stalled or stuck processes.
## Basic Usage
```applescript
-- Script to find and kill a process on a specific port
on killProcessOnPort(targetPort)
try
-- Find the process ID for the port
set lsofCommand to "lsof -nP -iTCP:" & targetPort & " -sTCP:LISTEN | awk 'NR==2 {print $2}'"
set processIDString to do shell script lsofCommand
if processIDString is "" then
return "No process found listening on port " & targetPort & "."
else
set processID to processIDString as integer
try
do shell script "kill " & processID
return "Sent kill signal to process " & processID & " on port " & targetPort & "."
on error
-- Try with sudo if regular kill fails
do shell script "sudo kill " & processID with administrator privileges
return "Sent kill signal (with sudo) to process " & processID & " on port " & targetPort & "."
end try
end if
on error errorMsg
return "Error: " & errorMsg
end try
end killProcessOnPort
-- Usage example:
killProcessOnPort(8080)
```
## How It Works
1. The script uses `do shell script` to execute the Unix `lsof` command to find processes listening on the specified port
2. It then extracts the process ID (PID) from the `lsof` output
3. The process is terminated using the Unix `kill` command
4. If the standard kill fails (possibly due to permissions), it attempts to use sudo with administrator privileges
## Common Use Cases
- Freeing up ports used by development servers that didn't terminate properly
- Stopping web servers or API servers running on specific ports
- Troubleshooting network services that are occupying needed ports
- Automating the cleanup of stuck processes in development workflows
## Notes and Limitations
- The script uses SIGTERM by default. For a more forceful termination, you can modify to use `kill -9`
- Administrator privileges may be required if the process belongs to another user or to root
- Use with caution, as it terminates processes without any warning or save operations
- The script assumes standard `lsof` output format; variations in output could affect functionality
