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

# Deleting files

> The Documents plugin provides functionality for deleting files.

## How files get deleted

Files in the Documents Plugin can be deleted in two ways:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Explicit deletion" icon="trash">
    Using the Kafka delete action described below to manually delete a specific file by its `fileId` and `customId`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Implicit deletion (replacement)" icon="rotate">
    When uploading a new file with the **same `customId` AND `documentType`** combination as an existing file, the previous file is automatically marked as deleted.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  **Understanding implicit deletion**

  The implicit deletion behavior ensures that each `customId` + `documentType` combination points to only one active file. When you upload a new file with an existing combination:

  * The previous file is marked as deleted in the database
  * The previous file's download URLs stop working
  * The new file becomes the active document for that combination

  This is by design and useful for scenarios where you want to replace documents (e.g., updating a profile photo or replacing a draft contract). However, if you need to store multiple files of the same type, ensure each has a **unique `customId`**.
</Info>

## Prerequisites

Before deleting files, ensure:

1. **Access Permissions**: Ensure that the user account used has the necessary access rights for updates or deletions.

2. **Kafka Configuration**:

* **Verify Kafka Setup**: Ensure proper configuration and accessibility of the Kafka messaging system.
* **Kafka Topics**: Understand the Kafka topics used for these operations.

3. **File IDs and Document Types**: Prepare information for updating or deleting files:

* `fileId`: ID of the file to delete.
* `customId`: Custom ID associated with the file.

<Info>
  In the example below, we use a `fileId` generated for a document using [<u>**Uploading a New Document**</u>](./uploading-a-new-document) scenario.

  ```json theme={"system"}
  {
    "docs": [
      {
        "customId": "119407",
        "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2",
        "documentType": "BULK",
        "documentLabel": null,
        "minioPath": "flowx-dev-process-id-119408/119407/466_BULK.pdf",
        "downloadPath": "internal/files/c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2/download",
        "noOfPages": 2,
        "error": null
      }
    ],
    "error": null
  }
  ```
</Info>

## Configuring the deletion process

![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_file_proc.png)

To delete files, follow these steps:

1. Create a process that includes a [**Send Message Task (Kafka)**](../../../../building-blocks/node/message-send-received-task-node) node and [**Message Event Receive (Kafka)**](../../../../building-blocks/node/message-send-received-task-node#configuring-a-message-receive-task-node) node:

* Use the **Send Message Task** node to send the delete request.
* Use the **Receive Message Task** node to receive the delete reply.

2. Configure the **first node (Send Message Task)** by adding a **Kafka Send Action**.

![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_file_action.png)

3. Specify the [**Kafka topic**](../../../../../setup-guides/documents-plugin-setup) for sending the delete request.

<Tip>
  To identify defined topics in your environment:

  * Navigate to **Platform Status > FLOWX Components > document-plugin-mngt** and click the eye icon on the right side.
  * In the details screen, expand the `KafkaTopicsHealthCheckIndicator` line and then **details → configuration → topic → file → delete**. Here will find the in and out topics for deleting files.

  ![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_topics.png)
</Tip>

4. Fill in the request message body.

![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_request_message.png)

#### Message request example

Example of a message following the custom integration data model:

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "customId": "119408",
  "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2"
}
```

* **fileId**: The ID of the file.
* **customId**: The custom ID.

5. Configure the **second node (Receive Message Task)** by adding a Data stream topic:

![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_stream.png)

<Info>
  The response will be sent to `..out` Kafka topic.
</Info>

### Receiving the reply

![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/delete_response.png)

The reply body should contain the following values:

* **customId**: The unique identifier for your document (it could be for example the ID of a client)
* **fileId**: The ID of the file
* **documentType**: The document type
* **error**: Any error message in case of an error during the deleting process

#### Message response example

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "customId": "119408",
  "fileId": "c4e6f0b0-b70a-4141-993b-d304f38ec8e2",
  "documentType": null,
  "error": null
}
```