Editing Child process (section)

{{Short description|Computing process created by another process}}
A '''child process''' (CP) in computing is a [[process (computing)|process]] created by another process (the [[parent process]]). This technique pertains to [[computer multitasking|multitasking operating systems]], and is sometimes called a '''subprocess''' or traditionally a '''subtask'''.

There are two major procedures for creating a child process: the [[fork (system call)|fork system call]] (preferred in [[Unix-like]] systems and the [[POSIX]] standard) and the [[spawn (computing)|spawn]] (preferred in the [[ntoskrnl.exe|modern (NT) kernel]] of [[Microsoft Windows]], as well as in some historical operating systems).