pfin is a program that waits for a process to exit and terminates. It currently only works on Linux and requires a kernel version >=5.3, because it relies on a pidfd_open syscall.
pfin can wait for any process, child or not, doesn't require root privileges and can wait for processes owned by other users, including root.
pfin [-h] [-v] PID
To build pfin, you need:
- Rust toolchain. If you don't have it, follow the instructions here
make
git clone https://github.com/tedwa/pfin
cd pfin
make
The compiled program will then appear in target/release/pfin.
This tool was initially planned to work on other Unix-like operating systems, not just Linux. If you know a technique that can achieve similar results to pidfd_open and works on other OS/older Linux kernel version, please open an issue or submit a pull request.
Keep in mind that your suggested technique has to fulfill these requirements:
- A process to wait for doesn't have to be a child
- Works on processes owned by other users, including root
- Does not require root privileges
- Manual page