How to end the sub process when using subprocess.Popen with python?

Question

I use a script to run two script. the code like this:

import subprocess

subprocess.Popen("python a.py", shell=True)
subprocess.Popen("python b.py", shell=True)

but if I end the main script, the sub process of a.py and b.py are still runing. How to solve it?

added:

the a.py and b.py is two server scripts. When I end the main script using ctrl+c,and the two servers is not end up.So how to end the all process when I end the main script?

Try popen(“kill $!”, shell=True) though that would only kill last one and the answer below is better — dǝɥɔS ʇoıןןƎ
– dǝɥɔS ʇoıןןƎ, Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 11:02
You do not need shell=True, you are only introducing a security risk with that. Just do Popen(['python', 'a.py']). shell=True is useful only when you are using some shell feature (e.g. pipes/redirection/built-ins/expansions etc) and even most of those can actually be avoided. If you are just running an executable do not specify shell=True. — Giacomo Alzetta
– Giacomo Alzetta, Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 11:02
Have any reason to start a new python interpretor instead of simply calling import a.py or at least compile and exec? — Serge Ballesta
– Serge Ballesta, Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 11:34
@GiacomoAlzetta If I using shell=False, it give me an error:No such file or directory: 'python a.py'. — XiaXuehai
– XiaXuehai, Commented Aug 7, 2018 at 1:12
@XiaXuehai You should use Popen(["python", "a.py"]) not Popen("python a.py"). Or if you don't want to manually write the least do : import shlex and then Popen(shlex.split("python a.py"))) — Giacomo Alzetta
– Giacomo Alzetta, Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 7:18

AKX · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-06 11:01:09Z

3

By killing the processes.

import subprocess

p1 = subprocess.Popen("python a.py", shell=True)
p2 = subprocess.Popen("python b.py", shell=True)

# ... do things ...

p1.kill()
p2.kill()

You can also automate this with the atexit module:

import subprocess
import atexit

p1 = subprocess.Popen("python a.py", shell=True)
p2 = subprocess.Popen("python b.py", shell=True)
atexit.register(p1.kill)  # register for killing
atexit.register(p2.kill)

# ... do things ...

answered Aug 6, 2018 at 11:01

AKX

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1 Comment

XiaXuehai Over a year ago

THX, but the a.py and b.py is two server scripts. When I end the main script using ctrl+c,and the two servers is not end up.So can you tell me how to end the all process when I end the main script?

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