Force Delete Backups

Applicable to Federated mode only

In Federated mode, backup deletion is handled locally by Stork on each application (shoot) cluster. Because Stork is the only component that can access the backup location, a delete request requires at least one reachable application cluster associated with the backup location.

If none of the associated application clusters are reachable, Portworx Backup cannot process the delete request.

In such cases, Portworx Backup prompts you to confirm whether you want to delete the backup metadata from the Portworx Backup database. Upon confirmation, the system performs a force delete, which removes only the backup metadata while leaving the actual backup data in the backup location.

note

Force delete removes only the backup metadata from the Portworx Backup database. The actual backup data remains in the backup location and must be deleted manually if required. Portworx Backup does not clean up the backup data from the backup location.

If a reachable application cluster is available to process the delete request, the force delete option is not presented.

Force delete a backup using Portworx Backup web console

To force delete a backup using Portworx Backup web console, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Portworx Backup web console.
2. From the left navigation pane, click All Backups.
3. Select the backup you want to delete, and click Delete. If no associated application cluster is reachable, a confirmation message is displayed indicating that only the backup metadata is removed.
4. Select the acknowledgment checkbox to confirm that you understand the implications.
5. Click Confirm to proceed.

The backup metadata is removed from Portworx Backup. The backup data remains in the backup location and must be deleted manually if required.

Force delete a backup using API

When using the Portworx Backup API to delete a backup in Federated mode, the delete request does not proceed if a connectivity issue is detected. To remove only the backup metadata, you must explicitly set the force flag in the delete request:

{
  "org_id": "<org-id>",
  "name": "<backup-name>",
  "cluster": "<cluster-name>",
  "force": true
}

Setting force: true removes only the backup metadata from Portworx Backup. The actual backup object is not deleted from the backup location.

Design and safety considerations

Force delete is intentionally restricted to one backup at a time. This design prevents accidental or unauthorized mass deletion of backup data. To force delete multiple backups, you must do so individually.

If you select multiple backups and attempt a force delete, the operation fails. Force delete each backup individually.