AWS Documentation » Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) » API Reference » REST API » Operations on Objects » Delete Multiple Objects	« Previous Next »
	Did this page help you? Yes \| No \| Tell us about it...

Delete Multiple Objects

Description

The Multi-Object Delete operation enables you to delete multiple objects from a bucket using a single HTTP request. If you know the object keys that you want to delete, then this operation provides a suitable alternative to sending individual delete requests (see DELETE Object), reducing per-request overhead.

The Multi-Object Delete request contains a list of up to 1000 keys that you want to delete. In the XML, you provide the object key names, and optionally, version IDs if you want to delete a specific version of the object from a versioning-enabled bucket. For each key, Amazon S3 performs a delete operation and returns the result of that delete, success, or failure, in the response. Note that, if the object specified in the request is not found, Amazon S3 returns the result as deleted.

The Multi-Object Delete operation supports two modes for the response; verbose and quiet. By default, the operation uses verbose mode in which the response includes the result of deletion of each key in your request. In quiet mode the response includes only keys where the delete operation encountered an error. For a successful deletion, the operation does not return any information about the delete in the response body.

When performing a Multi-Object Delete operation on an MFA Delete enabled bucket, that attempts to delete any versioned objects, you must include an MFA token. If you do not provide one, the entire request will fail, even if there are non versioned objects you are attempting to delete. If you provide an invalid token, whether there are versioned keys in the request or not, the entire Multi-Object Delete request will fail. For information about MFA Delete, see MFA Delete.

Finally, the Content-MD5 header is required for all Multi-Object Delete requests. Amazon S3 uses the header value to ensure that your request body has not be altered in transit.

Requests

Syntax

POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
Host: bucketname.s3.amazonaws.com
Authorization: Signature
Content-Length: Size
Content-MD5: MD5

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Delete>
    <Quiet>true</Quiet>
    <Object>
         <Key>Key</Key>
         <VersionId>VersionId</VersionId>
    </Object>
    <Object>
         <Key>Key</Key>
    </Object>
    ...
</Delete>

Request Parameters

The Multi-Object Delete operation requires a single query string parameter called "delete" to distinguish it from other bucket POST operations.

Request Headers

This operation uses the following Request Headers in addition to the request headers common to most requests. For more information, see Common Request Headers.

Name Description Required

Name	Description	Required
`Content-MD5`	The base64-encoded 128-bit MD5 digest of the data. This header must be used as a message integrity check to verify that the request body was not corrupted in transit. For more information, go to RFC 1864. Type: String Default: None	Yes
`Content-Length`	Length of the body according to RFC 2616. Type: String Default: None	Yes
`x-amz-mfa`	The value is the concatenation of the authentication device's serial number, a space, and the value that is displayed on your authentication device. Type: String Default: None Condition: Required to permanently delete a versioned object if versioning is configured with MFA Delete enabled.	Conditional

Content-MD5

The base64-encoded 128-bit MD5 digest of the data. This header must be used as a message integrity check to verify that the request body was not corrupted in transit. For more information, go to RFC 1864.

Type: String

Default: None

Yes

Content-Length

Length of the body according to RFC 2616.

Type: String

Default: None

Yes

x-amz-mfa

The value is the concatenation of the authentication device's serial number, a space, and the value that is displayed on your authentication device.

Type: String

Default: None

Condition: Required to permanently delete a versioned object if versioning is configured with MFA Delete enabled.

Conditional

Request Elements

Name	Description	Required
`Delete`	Container for the request. Ancestor: None Type: Container Children: One or more `Object` elements and an optional `Quiet` element.	Yes
`Quiet`	Element to enable quiet mode for the request. When you add this element, you must set its value to true. Ancestor: `Delete` Type: Boolean Default: false	No
`Object`	Container element that describes the delete request for an object. Ancestor: `Delete` Type: Container Children: `Key` element and an optional `VersionId` element.	Yes
`Key`	Key name of the object to delete. Ancestor: `Object` Type: String	Yes
`VersionId`	VersionId for the specific version of the object to delete. Ancestor: `Object` Type: String	No

Responses

Response Headers

This operation uses only response headers that are common to most responses. For more information, see Common Response Headers.

Response Elements

Name	Description
`DeleteResult`	Container for the response. Children: `Deleted`, `Error` Type: Container Ancestor: None
`Deleted`	Container element for a successful delete. It identifies the object that was successfully deleted. Children: `Key`, `VersionId` Type: `Container` Ancestor: `DeleteResult`
`Key`	Key name for the object that Amazon S3 attempted to delete. Type: `String` Ancestor: `Deleted`, or `Error`
`VersionId`	VersionId for the versioned object in the case of a versioned delete. Type: `String` Ancestor: `Deleted`
`DeleteMarker`	DeleteMarker element with a true value indicates that the request accessed a delete marker. If a specific delete request either creates or deletes a delete marker, Amazon S3 returns this element in the response with a value of true. This is only the case when your Multi-Object Delete request is on a bucket that has versioning enabled or suspended. For more information about delete markers, go to Object Versioning. Type: `Boolean` Ancestor: `Deleted`
`DeleteMarkerVersionId`	Version ID of the delete marker accessed (deleted or created) by the request. If the specific delete request in the Multi-Object Delete either creates or deletes a delete marker, Amazon S3 returns this element in response with the version ID of the delete marker. When deleting an object in a bucket with versioning enabled, this value is present for the following two reasons: You send a non-versioned delete request, that is, you specify only object key and not the version ID. In this case, Amazon S3 creates a delete marker and returns its version ID in the response. You send a versioned delete request, that is, you specify an object key and a version ID in your request; however, the version ID identifies a delete marker. In this case, Amazon S3 deletes the delete marker and returns the specific version ID in response. For information about versioning, go to Object Versioning. Type: `String` Ancestor: `Deleted`
`Error`	Container for a failed delete operation that describes the object that Amazon S3 attempted to delete and the error it encountered. Children: `Key`, `VersionId`, `Code`, `Message`. Type: `String` Ancestor: `DeleteResult`
`Key`	Key for the object Amazon S3 attempted to delete. Type: `String` Ancestor: `Error`
`VersionId`	Version ID of the versioned object Amazon S3 attempted to delete. Amazon S3 includes this element only in case of a versioned-delete request. Type: String Ancestor: `Deleted`, `Error`
`Code`	Status code for the result of the failed delete. . Type: `String` Values: `AccessDenied`, `InternalError` Ancestor: `Error`
`Message`	Error description. Type: `String` Ancestor: `Error`

Examples

Example 1: Multi-Object Delete resulting in mixed success/error response

This example illustrates a Multi-Object Delete request to delete objects that result in mixed success and errors response.

Sample Request

The following Multi-Object Delete request deletes two objects from a bucket (bucketname). In this example, the requester does not have permission to delete the sample2.txt object.

POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
Host: bucketname.S3.amazonaws.com
Accept: */*
x-amz-date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:05 GMT
Content-MD5: p5/WA/oEr30qrEEl21PAqw==
Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:W0qPYCLe6JwkZAD1ei6hp9XZIee=
Content-Length: 125
Connection: Keep-Alive

<Delete>
  <Object>
    <Key>sample1.txt</Key>
  </Object>
  <Object>
    <Key>sample2.txt</Key>
  </Object>
</Delete>

Sample Response

The response includes a DeleteResult element that includes a Deleted element for the item that Amazon S3 successfully deleted and an Error element that Amazon S3 did not delete because you didn't have permission to delete the object.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-amz-id-2: 5h4FxSNCUS7wP5z92eGCWDshNpMnRuXvETa4HH3LvvH6VAIr0jU7tH9kM7X+njXx
x-amz-request-id: A437B3B641629AEE
Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:53:42 GMT
Content-Type: application/xml
Server: AmazonS3
Content-Length: 251

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DeleteResult xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
  <Deleted>
    <Key>sample1.txt</Key>
  </Deleted>
  <Error>
    <Key>sample2.txt</Key>
    <Code>AccessDenied</Code>
    <Message>Access Denied</Message>
  </Error>
</DeleteResult>

Example 2: Deleting Object from a Versioned Bucket

If you delete an item from a versioning enabled bucket, all versions of that object remain in the bucket; however, Amazon S3 inserts a delete marker. For more information, go to Object Versioning.

The following scenarios describe the behavior of a Multi-Object Delete request when versioning is enabled for your bucket.

Case 1 - Simple Delete

The following sample the Multi-Object Delete request specifies only one key.

POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
Host: bucketname.S3.amazonaws.com
Accept: */*
x-amz-date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:05 GMT
Content-MD5: p5/WA/oEr30qrEEl21PAqw==
Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:W0qPYCLe6JwkZAD1ei6hp9XZIee=
Content-Length: 79
Connection: Keep-Alive

<Delete>
  <Object>
    <Key>SampleDocument.txt</Key>
  </Object>
</Delete>

Because versioning is enabled on the bucket, Amazon S3 does not delete the object. Instead, it adds a delete marker for this object. The response indicates that a delete marker was added (the DeleteMarker element in the response as a value of true) and the version number of the delete marker it added.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-amz-id-2: P3xqrhuhYxlrefdw3rEzmJh8z5KDtGzb+/FB7oiQaScI9Yaxd8olYXc7d1111ab+
x-amz-request-id: 264A17BF16E9E80A
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:32 GMT
Content-Type: application/xml
Server: AmazonS3
Content-Length: 276

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DeleteResult xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
  <Deleted>
    <Key>SampleDocument.txt</Key>
    <DeleteMarker>true</DeleteMarker> 
    <DeleteMarkerVersionId>NeQt5xeFTfgPJD8B4CGWnkSLtluMr11s</DeleteMarkerVersionId>
  </Deleted>
</DeleteResult>

Case 2 - Versioned Delete

The following Multi-Object Delete attempts to delete a specific version of an object

POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
Host: bucketname.S3.amazonaws.com
Accept: */*
x-amz-date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:05 GMT
Content-MD5: p5/WA/oEr30qrEEl21PAqw==
Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:W0qPYCLe6JwkZAD1ei6hp9XZIxx=
Content-Length: 140
Connection: Keep-Alive

<Delete>
  <Object>
    <Key>SampleDocument.txt</Key>
    <VersionId>OYcLXagmS.WaD..oyH4KRguB95_YhLs7</VersionId>
  </Object>
</Delete>

In this case, Amazon S3 deletes the specific object version from the bucket and returns the following response. In the response, Amazon S3 returns the key and version ID of the object deleted.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-amz-id-2: P3xqrhuhYxlrefdw3rEzmJh8z5KDtGzb+/FB7oiQaScI9Yaxd8olYXc7d1111xx+
x-amz-request-id: 264A17BF16E9E80A
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:32 GMT
Content-Type: application/xml
Server: AmazonS3
Content-Length: 219

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DeleteResult xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
  <Deleted>
    <Key>SampleDocument.txt</Key>
    <VersionId>OYcLXagmS.WaD..oyH4KRguB95_YhLs7</VersionId>
  </Deleted>
</DeleteResult>

Case 3 - Versioned Delete of a Delete Marker

In the preceding example, the request refers to a delete marker (instead of an object), then Amazon S3 deletes the delete marker. The effect of this operation is to make your object reappear in your bucket. Amazon S3 returns a response that indicates the delete marker it deleted (DeleteMarker element with value true) and the version ID of the delete marker.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-amz-id-2: IIPUZrtolxDEmWsKOae9JlSZe6yWfTye3HQ3T2iAe0ZE4XHa6NKvAJcPp51zZaBr
x-amz-request-id: D6B284CEC9B05E4E
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:43:25 GMT
Content-Type: application/xml
Server: AmazonS3
Content-Length: 331

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DeleteResult xmlns="http://s3.amazonaws.com/doc/2006-03-01/">
  <Deleted>
    <Key>SampleDocument.txt</Key>
    <VersionId>NeQt5xeFTfgPJD8B4CGWnkSLtluMr11s</VersionId>
    <DeleteMarker>true</DeleteMarker>  
    <DeleteMarkerVersionId>NeQt5xeFTfgPJD8B4CGWnkSLtluMr11s</DeleteMarkerVersionId> 
  </Deleted>
</DeleteResult>

In general, when a Multi-Object Delete request results in Amazon S3 either adding a delete marker or removing a delete marker, the response returns the following elements.

<DeleteMarker>true</DeleteMarker>  
<DeleteMarkerVersionId>NeQt5xeFTfgPJD8B4CGWnkSLtluMr11s</DeleteMarkerVersionId>

Example 3: Malformed XML in the Request

This example shows how Amazon S3 responds to a request that includes a malformed XML document.

Sample Request

The following requests sends a malformed XML document (missing the Delete end element).

POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
Host: bucketname.S3.amazonaws.com
Accept: */*
x-amz-date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:05 GMT
Content-MD5: p5/WA/oEr30qrEEl21PAqw==
Authorization: AWS AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE:W0qPYCLe6JwkZAD1ei6hp9XZIee=
Content-Length: 104
Connection: Keep-Alive

<Delete>
  <Object>
    <Key>404.txt</Key>
  </Object>
  <Object>
    <Key>a.txt</Key>
  </Object>

Sample Response

The response returns the Error messages that describe the error.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-amz-id-2: P3xqrhuhYxlrefdw3rEzmJh8z5KDtGzb+/FB7oiQaScI9Yaxd8olYXc7d1111ab+
x-amz-request-id: 264A17BF16E9E80A
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:39:32 GMT
Content-Type: application/xml
Server: AmazonS3
Content-Length: 207

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Error>
  <Code>MalformedXML</Code>
  <Message>The XML you provided was not well-formed or did not 
           validate against our published schema</Message>
  <RequestId>91F27FB5811111F</RequestId>
  <HostId>LCiQK7KbXyJ1t+tncmjRwmNoeeRNW1/ktJ61IC8kN32SFXJx7UBhOzseJCixAbcD</HostId>
</Error>

Document Conventions	« Previous Next »
Terms of Use	Did this page help you? Yes \| No \| Tell us about it...

Delete Multiple Objects

Description

Requests

Syntax

Request Parameters

Request Headers

Request Elements

Responses

Response Headers

Response Elements

Examples

Example 1: Multi-Object Delete resulting in mixed success/error response

Sample Request

Sample Response

Example 2: Deleting Object from a Versioned Bucket

Case 1 - Simple Delete

Case 2 - Versioned Delete

Case 3 - Versioned Delete of a Delete Marker

Example 3: Malformed XML in the Request

Sample Request

Sample Response

Related Actions