fuser is used to identify processes using files or sockets. There are alternatives for this tool but this tool is simple according to others. In this tutorial we will look usage of the fuser command.

View Processes Using A Directory

The processes using specified directory can be see with -v argument like below.

$ fuser -v .

• USER as username
• PID specified process id
• ACCESS provides file type where
  • c current directory
  • e executable being run
  • f open file
  • F open file for writing
  • r root directory
  • m shared library
• COMMAND is running command

View Process Using Root Directory

In previous example we have examined the current working directory but we can also specify the directory we want to inspect and list related processes. In this example we will list processes using the / root directory.

$ fuser -v -m /

Kill Process Which Access To Given File

fuser power is hidden its ability to kill process which access given file. We will provide the file path and kill process which access read or write for given path. We will use -kill option.

$ fuser --kill /home/ismail/test.txt

Kill Process Which Access To Given File Interactively

If we are not sure wheter we should kill process and decide to ask before killing we can use --interactive or -i option like below.

$ fuser -i --kill /home/ismail/test.txt

How to Use ‘fuser’ to Match User and Process Infographic