Delete Files API Tool

Delete Files

Delete Files is a REST API tool that gives developers full control over their file lifecycle by enabling the immediate, permanent deletion of uploaded or generated files. While all files are automatically removed after a brief retention period, this tool serves as an optional helper for users who need to explicitly and securely delete sensitive data at any time, ensuring compliance and enhancing privacy.

Key Benefits of Delete Files API

  • Permanently delete files before the default file retention period, ensuring sensitive data is removed instantly and with no copies archived.
  • Streamline security and compliance workflows for tasks involving confidential data, such as PII redaction, encryption, or watermarking.
  • Exercise granular control over file management by deleting individual files using a specific resource ID.
  • Automate file cleanup at scale with the option to perform batch deletions, removing multiple files with a single API call.
  • Enhance data privacy with a secure deletion process that verifies file ownership via your API key, safeguarding your files from unauthorized access.
  • Simplify your integration with a straightforward, easy-to-use tool that fits seamlessly into your existing PDF processing workflows.
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Why does pdfRest offer the best API for deleting files?
pdfRest offers the best solution for deleting files, because it enables on-demand deletion, supports individual and batch operations, and offers enterprise-grade security.

On-Demand File Deletion for Enhanced Data Control

While all files uploaded to pdfRest are automatically and permanently deleted after a brief retention period, the Delete Files API provides developers with an essential tool for enhanced data control. This API allows for the immediate, on-demand deletion of files at any point in your workflow. For applications handling sensitive information, such as financial or legal documents, the ability to explicitly remove files as soon as processing is complete is a critical feature. Common use cases include:

  • Financial Services: Securely disposing of confidential financial records after a loan application or transaction is completed.
  • Legal: Deleting sensitive legal documents after a case has been resolved or a contract has been signed and archived.
  • Healthcare: Ensuring HIPAA compliance by immediately removing medical records after they have been processed and stored in a secure location.
  • Government & Defense: Managing classified or sensitive data by ensuring it is permanently erased from the server immediately after use.

Individual and Batch Deletion for Simplified Workflows

The Delete Files API provides flexible options to manage your files, whether you're handling a single document or a large volume of data. The tool's dual functionality simplifies your workflow in two key ways:

  • Granular Deletion: Target a single file with its unique resource ID, perfect for cleaning up after one-off tasks.
  • Batch Deletion: Remove multiple files in a single, efficient API call, eliminating repetitive requests for high-volume workflows.

This flexibility ensures the tool is versatile enough to meet the demands of any workflow, from handling single documents to large-scale data processing pipelines. This dual approach gives you complete control over your file management, no matter the scale of the task. By allowing you to choose the right method for the job, you can significantly streamline your cleanup process and reduce the complexity of managing a large number of files, resulting in less manual work and a more efficient application.

Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance

At pdfRest, security and privacy are our top priorities. The Delete Files API is built on a foundation of enterprise-grade security, ensuring your data is protected throughout its lifecycle. Key security features include:

  • API Key Validation: Each deletion request is carefully validated to ensure that only you can delete files you originally uploaded or generated.
  • Permanent Deletion: All files are permanently and irreversibly deleted from our servers with no copies archived.
  • Compliance: This verifiable method for data disposal helps you maintain GDPR and HIPAA compliance for sensitive workflows.

Our commitment to privacy means your data is never archived or used for any purpose beyond your explicit request. By giving you direct control over your data's lifecycle, the tool offers peace of mind, knowing that sensitive information is handled with the highest level of care and is permanently removed when you decide.

Start from Code Examples
See more code examples in our GitHub repository

Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

Customize Your Solution

Learn about the parameters for this tool to create your custom solution.

IDs

The IDs parameter is a comma-separated string of resource IDs, in UUID format, for the files you want to delete.

The system will match each provided ID to a corresponding file on the server. For security, the batch deletion will only succeed if the original files were uploaded or generated by the same API key that is sending the delete request.

Safe & Secure

Confidently process your sensitive data with pdfRest. Our platform is fortified for robust, Enterprise-grade security and compliance, including GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type 2 certification in progress. Your data's protection is our priority.

Frequently Asked Questions
Need more help? Contact Us or visit our documentation.

The Delete Files API is a REST API tool that gives you explicit control over your file lifecycle on the pdfRest server. It allows for the immediate and permanent deletion of any uploaded or generated files, which is an optional but powerful helper tool for managing sensitive data.

No, it is not required. All files on the pdfRest server are automatically and permanently deleted after a brief retention period. The Delete Files API is an optional tool for users who need to ensure sensitive data is removed instantly before the standard retention period expires.

The tool ensures secure deletion by verifying file ownership. Each deletion request is validated against your API Key, ensuring that only you can delete files you have uploaded or generated. This provides a secure and verifiable method for data disposal.

You should use this tool for enhanced control over your data lifecycle, particularly for security and compliance purposes. It is ideal for workflows involving confidential data, such as financial, legal, or medical records, where immediate and permanent deletion is critical for maintaining privacy and compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA.

Yes, the Delete Files API supports both individual and batch deletions. You can delete a single file by providing its unique resource ID or delete multiple files in a single, efficient API call by providing a comma-separated string of IDs.

The API helps with compliance by providing a verifiable and irreversible method for data disposal. By allowing you to permanently and instantly delete files, it helps your workflows meet strict data privacy regulations, ensuring no copies of sensitive information are accidentally retained.

Integrating the Delete Files API is straightforward. The tool uses a simple RESTful interface that fits seamlessly into your existing workflows. You can use the provided code examples in languages like cURL, JavaScript, Python, PHP, and C# to quickly incorporate the deletion functionality into your application.

Yes, pdfRest offers two self-hosted options that support on-demand file deletion. The pdfRest API Toolkit on AWS allows you to deploy and manage your own backend processing infrastructure within your AWS environment with pay-as-you-go pricing through the AWS Marketplace. The pdfRest API Toolkit Container provides ultimate environmental control as a Docker Container, giving you the flexibility to run the API in on-premises data centers or public/private cloud environments with a flexible, custom licensing model.

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