diff --git a/src/core/ngx_cycle.c b/src/core/ngx_cycle.c
index 410cc3cd2..242e748c2 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_cycle.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_cycle.c
@@ -223,6 +223,8 @@ ngx_init_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *old_cycle)
 
     ngx_strlow(cycle->hostname.data, (u_char *) hostname, cycle->hostname.len);
 
+    cycle->generation = old_cycle->generation + 1;
+
 
     if (ngx_cycle_modules(cycle) != NGX_OK) {
         ngx_destroy_pool(pool);
diff --git a/src/core/ngx_cycle.h b/src/core/ngx_cycle.h
index 0c47f25fe..32c322b4d 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_cycle.h
+++ b/src/core/ngx_cycle.h
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ struct ngx_cycle_s {
     ngx_str_t                 error_log;
     ngx_str_t                 lock_file;
     ngx_str_t                 hostname;
+
+    uint64_t                  generation;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
index 5bc5ce979..a002369d5 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include <ngx_channel.h>
 
 
+static void ngx_update_process_title(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, ngx_uint_t single);
 static void ngx_start_worker_processes(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, ngx_int_t n,
     ngx_int_t type);
 static void ngx_start_cache_manager_processes(ngx_cycle_t *cycle,
@@ -73,10 +74,6 @@ static ngx_open_file_t  ngx_exit_log_file;
 void
 ngx_master_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
 {
-    char              *title;
-    u_char            *p;
-    size_t             size;
-    ngx_int_t          i;
     ngx_uint_t         sigio;
     sigset_t           set;
     struct itimerval   itv;
@@ -104,25 +101,7 @@ ngx_master_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
     sigemptyset(&set);
 
 
-    size = sizeof(master_process);
-
-    for (i = 0; i < ngx_argc; i++) {
-        size += ngx_strlen(ngx_argv[i]) + 1;
-    }
-
-    title = ngx_pnalloc(cycle->pool, size);
-    if (title == NULL) {
-        /* fatal */
-        exit(2);
-    }
-
-    p = ngx_cpymem(title, master_process, sizeof(master_process) - 1);
-    for (i = 0; i < ngx_argc; i++) {
-        *p++ = ' ';
-        p = ngx_cpystrn(p, (u_char *) ngx_argv[i], size);
-    }
-
-    ngx_setproctitle(title);
+    ngx_update_process_title(cycle, 0);
 
 
     ccf = (ngx_core_conf_t *) ngx_get_conf(cycle->conf_ctx, ngx_core_module);
@@ -229,6 +208,7 @@ ngx_master_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
             }
 
             ngx_cycle = cycle;
+            ngx_update_process_title(cycle, 0);
             ccf = (ngx_core_conf_t *) ngx_get_conf(cycle->conf_ctx,
                                                    ngx_core_module);
             ngx_start_worker_processes(cycle, ccf->worker_processes,
@@ -280,6 +260,8 @@ ngx_single_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
 {
     ngx_uint_t  i;
 
+    ngx_update_process_title(cycle, 1);
+
     if (ngx_set_environment(cycle, NULL) == NULL) {
         /* fatal */
         exit(2);
@@ -321,6 +303,7 @@ ngx_single_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
             }
 
             ngx_cycle = cycle;
+            ngx_update_process_title(cycle, 1);
         }
 
         if (ngx_reopen) {
@@ -332,6 +315,32 @@ ngx_single_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle)
 }
 
 
+static void
+ngx_update_process_title(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, ngx_uint_t single)
+{
+    u_char     *p, *end, args[2048];
+    ngx_int_t   i;
+
+    end = args + sizeof(args) - 1;
+
+    p = ngx_slprintf(args, end, "%s", ngx_argv[0]);
+
+    for (i = 1; i < ngx_argc; i++) {
+        p = ngx_slprintf(p, end, " %s", ngx_argv[i]);
+    }
+
+    if (p < end) {
+        *p++ = ']';
+    }
+
+    *p = '\0';
+
+    ngx_setproctitle_fmt("%s #%llu [%s",
+                         single ? "single process" : (char *) master_process,
+                         (unsigned long long) cycle->generation, args);
+}
+
+
 static void
 ngx_start_worker_processes(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, ngx_int_t n, ngx_int_t type)
 {
@@ -705,7 +714,7 @@ ngx_worker_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, void *data)
 
     ngx_worker_process_init(cycle, worker);
 
-    ngx_setproctitle("worker process");
+    ngx_setproctitle_gen("worker process", cycle->generation);
 
     for ( ;; ) {
 
@@ -729,7 +738,8 @@ ngx_worker_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, void *data)
             ngx_quit = 0;
             ngx_log_error(NGX_LOG_NOTICE, cycle->log, 0,
                           "gracefully shutting down");
-            ngx_setproctitle("worker process is shutting down");
+            ngx_setproctitle_gen("worker process is shutting down",
+                                 cycle->generation);
 
             if (!ngx_exiting) {
                 ngx_exiting = 1;
@@ -1114,7 +1124,7 @@ ngx_cache_manager_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, void *data)
 
     ngx_use_accept_mutex = 0;
 
-    ngx_setproctitle(ctx->name);
+    ngx_setproctitle_gen(ctx->name, cycle->generation);
 
     ngx_add_timer(&ev, ctx->delay);
 
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.c b/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.c
index 91afa5191..eb2159dc6 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.c
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.c
@@ -76,9 +76,11 @@ ngx_init_setproctitle(ngx_log_t *log)
 
 
 void
-ngx_setproctitle(char *title)
+ngx_setproctitle_fmt(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
+    int         n;
     u_char     *p;
+    va_list     args;
 
 #if (NGX_SOLARIS)
 
@@ -92,7 +94,15 @@ ngx_setproctitle(char *title)
     p = ngx_cpystrn((u_char *) ngx_os_argv[0], (u_char *) "nginx: ",
                     ngx_os_argv_last - ngx_os_argv[0]);
 
-    p = ngx_cpystrn(p, (u_char *) title, ngx_os_argv_last - (char *) p);
+    va_start(args, fmt);
+    n = vsnprintf((char *) p, ngx_os_argv_last - (char *) p, fmt, args);
+    va_end(args);
+
+    if (n < 0) {
+        n = 0;
+    }
+
+    p += ngx_min((size_t) n, (size_t) (ngx_os_argv_last - (char *) p));
 
 #if (NGX_SOLARIS)
 
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.h b/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.h
index c3636628b..37cdcac33 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.h
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_setproctitle.h
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 /* FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD */
 
 #define ngx_init_setproctitle(log) NGX_OK
-#define ngx_setproctitle(title)    setproctitle("%s", title)
+#define ngx_setproctitle_fmt       setproctitle
 
 
 #else /* !NGX_HAVE_SETPROCTITLE */
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #define NGX_SETPROCTITLE_PAD       ' '
 
 ngx_int_t ngx_init_setproctitle(ngx_log_t *log);
-void ngx_setproctitle(char *title);
+void ngx_setproctitle_fmt(const char *fmt, ...);
 
 #elif (NGX_LINUX) || (NGX_DARWIN)
 
@@ -35,12 +35,12 @@ void ngx_setproctitle(char *title);
 #define NGX_SETPROCTITLE_PAD       '\0'
 
 ngx_int_t ngx_init_setproctitle(ngx_log_t *log);
-void ngx_setproctitle(char *title);
+void ngx_setproctitle_fmt(const char *fmt, ...);
 
 #else
 
 #define ngx_init_setproctitle(log) NGX_OK
-#define ngx_setproctitle(title)
+static ngx_inline void ngx_setproctitle_fmt(const char *fmt, ...) { /* void */ }
 
 #endif /* OSes */
 
@@ -49,4 +49,10 @@ void ngx_setproctitle(char *title);
 #endif /* NGX_HAVE_SETPROCTITLE */
 
 
+#define ngx_setproctitle(title)           ngx_setproctitle_fmt("%s", title)
+
+#define ngx_setproctitle_gen(title, gen)                                      \
+    ngx_setproctitle_fmt("%s #%llu", title, (unsigned long long) gen)
+
+
 #endif /* _NGX_SETPROCTITLE_H_INCLUDED_ */