You use the HTTP POST method to delete multiple objects in a bucket. To delete multiple objects, you need delete permission for the bucket containing the objects or for the objects themselves. You cannot use this method with the S3 compatible API to delete:
- Objects that are under retention.
- Objects that are on hold.
- Delete markers of objects.
- Multiple versions of objects.
You can use the delete marker feature in Amazon S3 using Hitachi API for Amazon S3 and REST API. To delete the delete marker of the objects., you must enable the delete marker feature on the namespace. You can also delete multiple objects based on an object’s version IDs.
Request line
Depending on whether the bucket name is included in the hostname in the S3 compatible request, a request to delete multiple objects has either of these formats:
- With the bucket name included in the hostname:
POST /?delete HTTP/1.1
- With the bucket name following the hostname:
POST /bucket-name?delete HTTP/1.1
Required headers
The list below describes the headers you can use in a request to delete multiple objects.
- Authorization
- Specifies user credentials or requests anonymous access.
- Content-MD5
- Directs HCP to check the integrity of the data it receives by comparing a Base64-encoded MD5 hash of that data to the value specified by this header. The valid value for this header is the Base64-encoded MD5 hash of the data in the request body.
- Host
- Specifies the hostname for the request. The host name identifies either a tenant or a bucket.
- For a tenant, use this format:
tenant-name.hcp-domain-name
- For a bucket, use this format:
bucket-name.tenant-name.hcp-domain-name
- x-amz-date
- Specifies the date and time at which the request is being made according to the requester. Normally, this is the current date and time.
- For the valid values for this header, see the description of the Date header above.
Optional headers
- Content-Length
- Specifies the size, in bytes, of the data being uploaded.
- Date
- Specifies the date and time when the request is being made according to the requester. Normally, this is the current date and time.
- The date and time must always be specified using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
- To specify the date and time, use this format:
DDD, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss (+0000|GMT)
- In this format:
- DDD
- The three-letter abbreviation for the day of the week, with an uppercase first letter (for example, Mon).
- dd
- The two-digit day of the month.
- MMM
- The three-letter abbreviation for the month, with an uppercase first letter (for example, Feb).
- yyyy
- The four-digit year.
- HH
- The hour on a 24-hour clock.
- mm
- The number of minutes.
- ss
- The number of seconds.
- For example:
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:27:05 +0000
- All S3 compatible requests must include either a Date header or an x-amz-date header. If a request includes both headers, HCP uses the date and time in the x-amz-date header.
- x-hcp-privileged
- If you have privileged permission and the bucket allows it, this enables a privileged delete on an object that is under retention. The valid value for this header is a text string of up to 1,024 characters long, which can contain any valid UTF-8 characters, including white space.
Request body
The list below describes the XML elements in the request body to delete multiple objects. The elements are listed in alphabetical order.
- Delete
- Root element.
- Key
- Child of the Object element.
- The Key element specifies the name of the object to delete.
- Object
- Child of the Delete element.
- The Object element specifies the delete request for an object.
- Quiet
- Child of the Delete element.
- The Quiet element, when its value is set to true, enables quiet mode for the request.
Response headers
The list below describes the headers returned in response to a successful request to delete multiple objects.
- Content-Length
- The size, in bytes, of the response body if HCP can determine the size before formulating the response.
- If the response does not include a response body, the value of the Content-Length header is 0 (zero).
- Content-Type
- The Internet media type of the response body if HCP can determine the Internet media type. If HCP cannot determine the Internet media type, the value of this header is application/octet-stream.
- Date
- The date and time when HCP responded to the request, in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The date and time are returned in this format:
DDD dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss GMT
- For example:
Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:27:05 GMT
Response body
HCP returns information about the objects that were successfully deleted and the objects that were not successfully deleted from a delete request in an XML response body.
The list below describes the XML elements in the response body returned in response to a request to delete multiple objects. The elements are listed in alphabetical order.
- Code
- Child of the Error element.
- The Code element specifies the status code for the error.
- DeleteMarker
- Child of the Deleted element.
- The DeleteMarker element specifies whether the request accessed a delete marker.
- DeleteMarkerVersionId
- Child of the Deleted element.
- DeleteResult
- Root element.
- Deleted
- Child of the DeleteResult element.
- The Deleted element specifies the name of the object that the S3 compatible API successfully deleted.
- Error
- Child of the DeleteResult element.
- The Error element specifies the name of the object that was not deleted and describes the error that was encountered.
- Key
- Child of the Deleted element or the Error element.
- The Key element specifies the name of the object that the S3 compatible API attempted to delete.
- Message
- Child of the Error element.
- The Message element provides more information about the error.
- VersionId
- Child of the Deleted element or the Error element.
- The VersionId element specifies the version ID of the object that the S3 compatible API attempted to delete. The version ID of only the current version of the object is returned.
Status codes
The table below describes HTTP status codes that can be returned in response to a request to delete multiple objects.
| Code | Meaning | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | HCP has accepted the request. This does not mean that every object in the request was successfully deleted. |
| 204 | No Content |
One of these:
|
| 400 | Bad Request |
Possible reasons include:
|
| 403 | Forbidden |
Possible reasons include:
|
| 404 | Not Found | Possible reasons include that the specified object does not exist. |
| 409 | Conflict |
Possible reasons include:
|
| 500 | Internal Server Error |
An internal error occurred. If this error persists, contact your tenant administrator. |
| 503 | Service Unavailable |
HCP is temporarily unable to handle the request, probably due to system overload, maintenance, or upgrade. Try the request again, gradually increasing the delay between each successive attempt. If this error persists, contact your tenant administrator. |
Example: Deleting multiple objects
Here’s a sample POST request on the finance bucket to delete objects named quarterly_rpts/Q2_2019.ppt and quarterly_rpts/Q3_2019.ppt.
Request with s3curl command line
./s3curl.pl --id=lgreen --contentType application/xml --calculateContentMd5 --post mod.xml -- -ik -v
"https://europe.hcp.example.com/finance?delete"
Request headers
POST /finance?delete HTTP/1.1 Host: europe.hcp.example.com/finance Date: Fri, 07 February 2020 17:19:26 +0000 Authorization: AWS bGdyZWVu:i9bRonH4gi1SrymsF0Fw84mWUeQ= Content-type: application/xml Content-MD5: BQ7HxZ32wHoDbnACnRE79w== Content-Length: 275
Request body
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Delete>
<Object>
<Key>quarterly_rpts/Q2_2019.ppt</Key>
</Object>
<Object>
<Key>quarterly_rpts/Q3_2019.ppt</Key>
</Object>
</Delete>
Response headers
HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Fri, 07 February 2020 17:19:26 GMT Content-Type: application/xml Content-Length: 731
Response body
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DeleteResult>
<Deleted>
<Key>quarterly_rpts/Q2_2019.ppt</Key>
<VersionId>97302435810137</VersionId>
<DeleteMarker>true</DeleteMarker>
<DeleteMarkerVersionId>Not Implemented</DeleteMarkerVersionId>
</Deleted>
<Error>
<Key>quarterly_rpts/Q3_2019.ppt</Key>
<Code>AccessDenied</Code>
<Message>Access Denied</Message>
</Error>
</DeleteResult>