> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hydradb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> AGENTS.md is HydraDB's maintained agent guide. Read https://docs.hydradb.com/AGENTS.md once, then use its content. /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt redirect to the same guide; they are not separate documentation indexes. If the guide is already loaded, continue with it instead of fetching either alias or reloading the guide.

# Delete Database

> Permanently remove a database and all of its data.

Permanently deletes a database and everything in it: ingested knowledge, memories, the metadata schema, vector indices, and graphs.

> [!WARNING]
>
> This action is irreversible. There is no soft-delete and no recovery window. The examples use a placeholder name, `database_to_delete`. Replace it with the database you mean to destroy before running them, and check the name twice on a shared or team account, where you may not be the only one using it.

```python Python SDK theme={"dark"}
response = client.databases.delete(database="database_to_delete")
```

```typescript TypeScript SDK theme={"dark"}
const response = await client.databases.delete({
  database: "database_to_delete",
});
```

```bash cURL theme={"dark"}
curl -X DELETE 'https://api.hydradb.com/databases?database=database_to_delete' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_api_key>" \
  -H "API-Version: 2"
```

```json Success theme={"dark"}
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "database": "database_to_delete",
    "status": "deletion_scheduled",
    "message": "Database deregistered. Background cleanup is in progress."
  },
  "error": null,
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d",
    "latency_ms": 12.3
  }
}
```

```json Failure theme={"dark"}
{
  "success": false,
  "data": null,
  "error": {
    "code": "DATABASE_NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "Database not found"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d",
    "latency_ms": 4.8
  }
}
```

## Deletion completion

Deletion is asynchronous: the endpoint returns once the database is deregistered, and cleanup of vector stores, graphs, and storage objects runs in the background for a few minutes. Treat deletion as complete when the database no longer appears in `GET /databases`, or when `GET /databases/status?database=...` returns `DATABASE_NOT_FOUND`.

**Reusing the database name:** After deletion completes, the same `database` can be used in a new `POST /databases` request. Until then, do not re-create the database or retry ingestion or queries against it.

**Stop in-flight work first:** Stop all ingestion, polling, query, and background jobs targeting this database before deleting. Calls made after deregistration can fail with `DATABASE_NOT_FOUND` even while infrastructure cleanup is still running.

**Repeat calls:** Deleting an already-deleted database returns `404 DATABASE_NOT_FOUND`. Deleting a database that is still deleting returns `200` again. Deleting a database that is still provisioning, or whose provisioning or earlier deletion failed, is treated as a request to tear down that database.

## Errors

Common codes: `400 INVALID_INPUT` (missing `database`), `401 UNAUTHORIZED`, `404 DATABASE_NOT_FOUND`, and `500 INTERNAL_ERROR` (transient; retry the same `DELETE`). See [Error Responses](https://docs.hydradb.com/api-reference/v2/error-responses.md) for the full list.

## Related resources

* **Before this:** [List Databases](https://docs.hydradb.com/api-reference/v2/endpoint/list-databases.md): find the database ID
* **Related:** [Delete Collection](https://docs.hydradb.com/api-reference/v2/endpoint/delete-collection.md): remove one collection without deleting the whole database
* **Related:** [Delete Context](https://docs.hydradb.com/api-reference/v2/endpoint/delete-source.md): remove specific knowledge or memories without deleting the whole database
* **Guide:** [Databases and Collections](https://docs.hydradb.com/essentials/v2/databases-and-collections.md)


## OpenAPI

````yaml api-reference/v2/openapi.json DELETE /databases
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  contact:
    email: support@hydradb.com
    name: HydraDB Support
  description: >-
    The HydraDB API: ingest context, query it, and manage databases, connectors
    and webhooks.
  license:
    name: Proprietary
  title: HydraDB Application API
  version: 0.1.0
servers:
  - description: Production server
    url: https://api.hydradb.com
security: []
externalDocs:
  description: ''
  url: ''
paths:
  /databases:
    delete:
      tags:
        - database-management
      summary: Delete a database
      description: Delete a database and all associated data
      parameters:
        - description: Database identifier to delete
          in: query
          name: database
          required: true
          schema:
            example: acme_corp
            type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: >-
                  #/components/schemas/handler.Envelope-tenants_TenantDeleteResponse
          description: OK
        '400':
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ErrorResponse'
          description: Bad Request
        '404':
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ErrorResponse'
          description: Not Found
        '500':
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ErrorResponse'
          description: Internal Server Error
      security:
        - BearerAuth: []
components:
  schemas:
    handler.Envelope-tenants_TenantDeleteResponse:
      properties:
        data:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/tenants.TenantDeleteResponse'
          example:
            database: acme_corp
            message: Success
            status: completed
            tenant_id: tenant_1234
        error:
          anyOf:
            - $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.apiError'
              title: HandlerApiError
            - title: No error
              type: 'null'
          description: Error details on failure, or null on success.
          example: null
        meta:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.responseMeta'
          example:
            collection: team_docs
            database: acme_corp
            latency_ms: 12.3
            request_id: 9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d
            source_type: file
            sub_tenant_id: sub_tenant_4567
            tenant_id: tenant_1234
            warnings:
              - code: acl_ignored_by_connector_enforcement
                message: This connector enforces ACL, so the request's acl was ignored.
        success:
          description: Whether the request succeeded.
          example: true
          type: boolean
      title: HandlerEnvelopeTenantsTenantDeleteResponse
      type: object
    handler.ErrorResponse:
      properties:
        data:
          description: Always `null` on this error response.
          type: 'null'
        detail:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ErrorDetail'
          description: Structured error detail with code, message, and deprecation hints.
          example:
            deprecated: true
            deprecated_field: tenant_id
            deprecated_since: 2.0.1
            error_code: VALIDATION_ERROR
            message: Request validation failed
            preferred_field: database
            retry_after_seconds: 1
            retryable: true
        error:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.apiError'
          description: Error message, empty string on success.
          example:
            code: DATABASE_NOT_FOUND
            message: Database not found
        meta:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ErrorMeta'
          example:
            latency_ms: 12.3
            request_id: 9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d
        success:
          description: Whether the request succeeded.
          example: false
          type: boolean
      title: HandlerErrorResponse
      type: object
    tenants.TenantDeleteResponse:
      properties:
        database:
          description: >-
            Owning database. Formerly `tenant_id`; the `tenant_id` alias is
            still accepted (deprecated).
          example: acme_corp
          type: string
        message:
          description: Human-readable result message.
          example: Success
          type: string
        status:
          description: Current lifecycle or processing state.
          example: completed
          type: string
        tenant_id:
          deprecated: true
          description: 'Deprecated: use `database`.'
          example: tenant_1234
          type: string
          x-deprecated: 'true'
      title: TenantsTenantDeleteResponse
      type: object
    handler.apiError:
      properties:
        code:
          description: Machine-readable error code (e.g. `DATABASE_NOT_FOUND`).
          example: DATABASE_NOT_FOUND
          type: string
        details:
          additionalProperties:
            type: string
          description: >-
            Extra facts about the error, as string pairs. Omitted when there are
            none.
          type: object
        message:
          description: Human-readable description of the error.
          example: Database not found
          type: string
        param:
          description: >-
            The request field that caused the error. Omitted when no single
            field is at fault.
          type: string
      title: HandlerApiError
      type: object
    handler.responseMeta:
      properties:
        api_version:
          description: >-
            Version of the API that served the request, for example `2.0.1`.
            Always present.
          type: string
        collection:
          description: >-
            Collection scope. Defaults to the default collection when omitted.
            Formerly `sub_tenant_id`; the `sub_tenant_id` alias is still
            accepted (deprecated).
          example: team_docs
          type: string
        database:
          description: >-
            Owning database. Formerly `tenant_id`; the `tenant_id` alias is
            still accepted (deprecated).
          example: acme_corp
          type: string
        deprecation:
          description: >-
            Migration notices for this request, present only when it used a
            deprecated route, field or selector. The status code is unaffected.
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.deprecationNotice'
          type: array
          uniqueItems: false
        latency_ms:
          description: Server-side processing time in milliseconds.
          example: 12.3
          type:
            - number
            - 'null'
        request_id:
          description: Unique identifier for this request, useful for support and tracing.
          example: 9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d
          type: string
        source_type:
          description: Type of the parent source (e.g. `file`, `slack`, `notion`).
          example: file
          type: string
        sub_tenant_id:
          deprecated: true
          description: 'Deprecated: use `collection`.'
          example: sub_tenant_4567
          type: string
          x-deprecated: 'true'
        tenant_id:
          deprecated: true
          description: 'Deprecated: use `database`.'
          example: tenant_1234
          type: string
          x-deprecated: 'true'
        warnings:
          description: >-
            Warnings contains non-fatal notices; enforced reads may include
            acl_ignored_by_connector_enforcement when a request ACL is replaced.
          example:
            - code: acl_ignored_by_connector_enforcement
              message: This connector enforces ACL, so the request's acl was ignored.
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/handler.ResponseWarning'
          type: array
          uniqueItems: false
      title: HandlerResponseMeta
      type: object
    handler.ErrorDetail:
      properties:
        deprecated:
          description: Whether this response concerns a deprecated field or route.
          example: true
          type: boolean
        deprecated_field:
          description: The deprecated field name.
          example: tenant_id
          type: string
        deprecated_since:
          description: API version that deprecated the conflicting selector.
          example: 2.0.1
          type: string
        error_code:
          description: Machine-readable error classification code.
          example: VALIDATION_ERROR
          type: string
        message:
          description: Human-readable description of the error.
          example: Request validation failed
          type: string
        preferred_field:
          description: The canonical replacement for the deprecated field.
          example: database
          type: string
        retry_after_seconds:
          description: >-
            Seconds to wait before retrying deletion of context that is still
            indexing.
          example: 1
          type: integer
        retryable:
          description: >-
            Whether retrying this failed query can succeed. Present for search
            workflow failures.
          example: true
          type: boolean
        success:
          deprecated: true
          description: >-
            Deprecated: always `false`. Read the HTTP status, then `error.code`
            and `error.message`.
          example: false
          type: boolean
          x-deprecated: 'true'
      title: HandlerErrorDetail
      type: object
    handler.ErrorMeta:
      properties:
        api_version:
          description: Version of the API that served the request, for example `2.0.1`.
          type: string
        latency_ms:
          description: Server-side processing time in milliseconds.
          example: 12.3
          type: number
        request_id:
          description: Unique identifier for this request, useful for support and tracing.
          example: 9d13aef4-02f4-4e73-8c62-4c2601d04f9d
          type: string
      title: HandlerErrorMeta
      type: object
    handler.deprecationNotice:
      properties:
        deprecated:
          description: Whether this response concerns a deprecated field or route.
          example: true
          type: boolean
        deprecated_field:
          description: The deprecated field name.
          example: tenant_id
          type: string
        deprecated_since:
          description: API version when the field was deprecated.
          example: 2.0.1
          type: string
        message:
          description: Migration guidance message.
          example: tenant_id is deprecated; use database instead.
          type: string
        preferred_field:
          description: The canonical replacement for the deprecated field.
          example: database
          type: string
      title: HandlerDeprecationNotice
      type: object
    handler.ResponseWarning:
      properties:
        code:
          description: >-
            Code identifies the warning type, such as
            acl_ignored_by_connector_enforcement.
          example: acl_ignored_by_connector_enforcement
          type: string
        message:
          description: Human-readable explanation of the warning.
          example: This connector enforces ACL, so the request's acl was ignored.
          type: string
      title: HandlerResponseWarning
      type: object
  securitySchemes:
    BearerAuth:
      bearerFormat: API key
      description: 'Send your API key as Authorization: Bearer <your_api_key>.'
      scheme: bearer
      type: http

````

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