> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.slingdata.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.slingdata.io/concepts/hooks/delete.md).

# Delete

Delete hooks allow you to remove files or directories from local or remote storage locations. This is useful for cleanup operations, removing temporary files, or maintaining storage quotas.

## Configuration

```yaml
- type: delete
  location: "aws_s3/path/to/file"   # Required: Location string
  recursive: false        # Optional: true/false. Default is false
  on_failure: abort       # Optional: abort/warn/quiet/skip
  id: my_id               # Optional. Will be generated. Use `log` hook with {runtime_state} to view state.
```

## Properties

| Property    | Required | Description                                                                                          |
| ----------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| location    | Yes      | The [location](/sling-cli/environment.md#location-string) string. Contains connection name and path. |
| recursive   | No       | Whether to delete recursively                                                                        |
| path        | Yes      | The path to the file or directory to delete                                                          |
| on\_failure | No       | What to do if the deletion fails (abort/warn/quiet/skip)                                             |

## Output

When the delete hook executes successfully, it returns the following output that can be accessed in subsequent hooks:

```yaml
status: success  # Status of the hook execution
path: "path/to/file"  # The path that was deleted
```

You can access these values in subsequent hooks using the following syntax (`jmespath`):

* `{state.hook_id.status}` - Status of the hook execution
* `{state.hook_id.path}` - The path that was deleted

## Examples

### Clean Up Temporary Files

Remove temporary files after successful processing:

```yaml
hooks:
  post:
    - type: delete
      location: "local//tmp/processed/{run.stream.name}_{timestamp.date}/*"
      on_failure: warn
```

### Clean Up Staging Area

Remove processed files from a staging area after successful replication:

```yaml
hooks:
  post:
    - type: delete
      if: run.status == "success"
      location: "azure_blob/staging/{target.environment}/{run.stream.name}/"
      recursive: true
      on_failure: warn
```

### Remove Failed Processing Artifacts

Clean up artifacts from failed processing attempts:

```yaml
hooks:
  post:
    - type: delete
      if: run.status == "error"
      location: "gcs/failed-jobs/{timestamp.date}/{run.stream.name}/"
      on_failure: quiet
```

### Clean Up Log Files

Remove old log files after successful processing:

```yaml
hooks:
  post:
    - type: delete
      location: "local//var/log/sling/{run.stream.name}/*.log"
      on_failure: quiet
```


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