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

# delete-api

> Permanently delete an API namespace and all its associated keys using the Unkey CLI. This action invalidates every key and cannot be undone.

Permanently delete an API namespace and immediately invalidate all associated keys.

Use this for cleaning up development environments, retiring deprecated services, or removing unused resources. All keys in the namespace are immediately marked as deleted and will fail verification with `code=NOT_FOUND`.

**Important:** This operation is immediate and permanent. Verify you have the correct API ID before deletion. If delete protection is enabled, disable it first through the dashboard or API configuration.

**Required permissions:**

* `api.*.delete_api` (to delete any API)
* `api.<api_id>.delete_api` (to delete a specific API)

<Note>
  See the [API reference](/api-reference/apis/delete-api-namespace) for the full HTTP endpoint documentation.
</Note>

## Usage

```bash theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
unkey api apis delete-api [flags]
```

## Flags

<ParamField body="--api-id" type="string" required>
  Specifies which API namespace to permanently delete from your workspace. Must be a valid API ID that begins with `api_` and exists within your workspace.

  Before proceeding, ensure you have the correct API ID and understand that this action cannot be undone. If you need to migrate functionality, create replacement keys in a new API namespace and update client applications before deletion.
</ParamField>

## Global Flags

| Flag         | Type   | Description                                              |
| ------------ | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--root-key` | string | Override root key (`$UNKEY_ROOT_KEY`)                    |
| `--api-url`  | string | Override API base URL (default: `https://api.unkey.com`) |
| `--config`   | string | Path to config file (default: `~/.unkey/config.toml`)    |
| `--output`   | string | Output format. Use `json` for raw JSON                   |

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Basic theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
  unkey api apis delete-api --api-id=api_1234abcd
  ```

  ```bash JSON output for scripting theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
  unkey api apis delete-api --api-id=api_1234abcd --output=json
  ```

  ```bash Delete after looking up by name theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
  API_ID=$(unkey api apis list-apis --output=json | jq -r '.data[] | select(.name=="old-service") | .id')
  unkey api apis delete-api --api-id=$API_ID
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Output

Default output shows the request ID with latency:

```text theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
req_2c9a0jf23l4k567 (took 45ms)

{}
```

With `--output=json`, the full response envelope is returned:

```json theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_2c9a0jf23l4k567"
  },
  "data": {}
}
```