shutdown Command - Bring the System Down

The shutdown command is used to bring the system down in a secure way. It can power off, halt, or reboot the system at a specified time.

Syntax

shutdown [options] [time] [message]

Examples

shutdown -h now

shutdown -r +5

shutdown -c

Notes

• Requires root privileges to execute.
• Use systemctl poweroff or systemctl reboot as alternatives on systemd-based systems.
• Warns all logged-in users before shutting down.