sfdk-emulator-stop

View documentation for sfdk emulator start

$ tldr sfdk emulator start

sfdk emulator-stop [<emulator_name_or_id>] [--force | -f]
sfdk emulator-stop --all [--force | -f]

<emulator_name_or_id>
    The name or unique identifier of the specific Sailfish OS emulator instance to stop. If omitted and --all is not specified, the command may attempt to stop the default or currently active emulator.

--all, -a
    Stops all currently running Sailfish OS emulator instances.

--force, -f
    Forces the immediate termination of the emulator process, bypassing graceful shutdown procedures. This can be useful if an emulator is unresponsive but may lead to unsaved state loss.

The sfdk-emulator-stop command is a utility within the Sailfish OS Software Development Kit (SDK) used to terminate running Sailfish OS emulator instances. These emulators provide a virtual environment for developers to test their applications without requiring physical hardware. This command is essential for managing development resources, freeing up system memory and CPU cycles occupied by the emulator. It is typically invoked after development or testing sessions are complete, or when a different emulator configuration needs to be started. The command can stop a specific emulator identified by its name or ID, or it can be used to stop all active emulators. It ensures a clean shutdown of the virtual machine process associated with the emulator, preventing resource leaks and preparing the system for subsequent development tasks.

Stopping an emulator forcefully (with --force) might lead to data loss or corrupt the emulator's state if not all data is flushed to disk.
Always ensure all necessary work within the emulator is saved before stopping, especially when not using --force.
Running the command without specifying an emulator name/ID or --all might result in an error or unexpected behavior, depending on the sfdk version and configuration.

When an emulator is stopped gracefully (without --force), its last state is typically saved, allowing for a quicker resume on subsequent starts. Forceful termination, however, might discard the last session's state, requiring a fresh boot on the next launch.

Stopping emulators is crucial for effective system resource management, as running emulator instances can consume significant amounts of RAM and CPU. Terminating them when not in use frees up these resources for other tasks.

The Sailfish OS SDK, including its emulator management tools, has evolved alongside the Sailfish OS itself, which was officially launched in 2013 by Jolla. The sfdk command-line interface provides a unified way to interact with the SDK components, succeeding earlier, potentially more fragmented tools. The emulator-stop subcommand has been a fundamental part of the SDK's lifecycle management for emulators since its early iterations, ensuring developers could efficiently manage their virtual test environments. Its consistent inclusion reflects the importance of robust emulator control for mobile application development.

sfdk(1), sfdk-emulator-start(1), sfdk-emulator-list(1)