Linux / Server

Killed / exit code 137 (Out of memory)

The process was killed — exit 137 means SIGKILL, usually the out-of-memory killer or a container memory limit.

What it looks like

Killed
$ echo $?
137

Out of memory: Killed process 3120 (node) total-vm:4120040kB

What does "Killed / exit code 137 (Out of memory)" mean?

Exit code 137 means the process received SIGKILL (128 + 9). With no error of its own, the usual culprit is the Linux out-of-memory killer or a container memory limit — the process was stopped from outside, so it never got to log anything.

What causes "Killed / exit code 137 (Out of memory)"?

• The process used more RAM than available/allowed.
• A container memory limit was exceeded.
• A memory leak.

How do I confirm the cause?

1. Check dmesg or journalctl -k for “Out of memory: Killed process”.
2. In Docker or Kubernetes, check the container’s memory limit and whether it shows OOMKilled (docker inspect, kubectl describe pod).
3. Watch the process’s memory while it runs (top, docker stats) to see whether it climbs steadily — a leak — or spikes on one task.

How do I fix "Killed / exit code 137 (Out of memory)"?

• Check memory usage and the container/cgroup limit.
• Raise the memory limit or reduce the workload.
• Fix the leak / process data in smaller batches.

How do I stop it happening again?

• Set memory limits that match real peak usage, and handle big data in batches or streams.
• For Node.js, keep --max-old-space-size below the container limit so the runtime fails with a clear error instead of being killed.

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