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

# dbdock delete

> Delete specific backups or all backups.

```bash theme={null}
npx dbdock delete [options]
```

## Modes

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Interactive">
    Default mode — DBDock shows a picker.

    ```bash theme={null}
    npx dbdock delete
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="By ID">
    Delete a specific backup by its ID.

    ```bash theme={null}
    npx dbdock delete --key backup-2026-04-16-08-00-00-abc123
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="All">
    Delete every backup. Requires confirmation.

    ```bash theme={null}
    npx dbdock delete --all
    ```

    <Warning>
      This is destructive and cannot be undone. DBDock will ask you to type the database name to confirm.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Options

| Option       | Description                                 |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------- |
| `--key <id>` | Delete a specific backup by ID              |
| `--all`      | Delete every backup (requires confirmation) |

## Difference from `cleanup`

`delete` is manual and ad-hoc. `cleanup` applies the retention policy defined in your config.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use delete when..." icon="trash">
    * You want to remove specific bad/test backups
    * You're decommissioning a project
    * You need to nuke everything immediately
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use cleanup when..." icon="broom" href="/cli/cleanup">
    * You want automatic retention
    * You want to apply `maxBackups` / `maxAgeDays` rules
    * You want a dry run first
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Safety

* Interactive mode always shows what will be deleted before confirmation
* `--all` requires typing the database name as confirmation
* Deletes happen one at a time with logging — if one fails, the rest continue