Delete extensions from the managed Open VSX registry

Delete individual extensions or specific extension versions from the managed Open VSX registry by using the Open VSX admin API or the ovsx command-line tool, which is included in the Open VSX server image.

Deleting an extension version removes the files of that version, but the version number remains reserved: you cannot publish the same version again. To free the version number, purge the version by using the admin API.

Delete extensions by using the `ovsx` command-line tool

The ovsx tool deletes extensions through the regular Open VSX API. With the publisher personal access token, you can delete the extensions that the managed registry published.

Prerequisites

An active kubectl session with administrative permissions to the destination Kubernetes cluster. See Overview of kubectl.
The managed Open VSX registry is enabled and running.

The managed Open VSX registry runs Open VSX 1.2.0 or later. Che 7.123 and later deploy Open VSX 1.2.0 or later, so no action is required. Earlier Che versions deploy Open VSX 1.1.1 or earlier, which cannot delete extensions. On those versions, use the admin API instead.

The ovsx unpublish command queries the registry version before it deletes anything. Against an earlier registry, the command reports that deleting extensions requires version 1.2.0 or later, and deletes nothing.

Procedure

Get the Open VSX server pod name:

kubectl get pods --namespace eclipse-che -l app.kubernetes.io/component=openvsx-server -o name

Determine the scope that you want to delete, and run only one of the following commands. Each command deletes a different scope, and deleting is irreversible:

To delete the entire extension with all its versions:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  sh -c 'OVSX_REGISTRY_URL=http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx OVSX_PAT=$OPENVSX_USER_PAT \
  ovsx unpublish <extension_namespace>.<extension_name> --force'

To delete only specific versions, add the --versions option. Separate multiple versions with spaces:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  sh -c 'OVSX_REGISTRY_URL=http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx OVSX_PAT=$OPENVSX_USER_PAT \
  ovsx unpublish <extension_namespace>.<extension_name> --versions <extension_version> --force'

To delete only specific target platforms of a version, add the --target option. This option requires the --versions option:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  sh -c 'OVSX_REGISTRY_URL=http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx OVSX_PAT=$OPENVSX_USER_PAT \
  ovsx unpublish <extension_namespace>.<extension_name> \
  --versions <extension_version> --target <target_platform> --force'

where:

<openvsx_server_pod>: The pod name from the previous step.
<extension_namespace>: The namespace (publisher) of the extension. For example: redhat.
<extension_name>: The name of the extension. For example: java.
<extension_version>: The version to delete. For example: 1.2.3.
<target_platform>: The target platform to delete. For example: linux-x64.

Omitting the --versions option deletes every version of the extension. To delete a single version, you must pass --versions.

The --force option skips the confirmation prompt. Because the command runs in a noninteractive shell, it fails without this option, and no prompt warns you before the deletion.

Verification

Open the Open VSX registry UI and verify the result for the scope that you deleted:

Entire extension

The extension is no longer listed in the registry.

Specific versions

The deleted versions are no longer available in the Version list on the extension page.

Specific target platforms

In the extension version table, the Target platforms column no longer lists the deleted platforms for that version.

Delete extensions by using the Open VSX admin API

The admin personal access token has the admin role and can therefore delete any extension, including extensions that a different user published, and purge extension versions to free their version numbers.

Prerequisites

An active kubectl session with administrative permissions to the destination Kubernetes cluster. See Overview of kubectl.
The managed Open VSX registry is enabled and running.

Procedure

Get the Open VSX server pod name:

kubectl get pods --namespace eclipse-che -l app.kubernetes.io/component=openvsx-server -o name

List the versions of the extension:
```
kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  curl -s "http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx/api/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name>/versions"
```
where:

<openvsx_server_pod>

The pod name from the previous step.

<extension_namespace>

The namespace (publisher) of the extension. For example: redhat.

<extension_name>

The name of the extension. For example: java.
Get the target platform of the version that you want to delete. The admin API requires the target platform to identify a version:
```
kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  curl -s "http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx/api/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name>/<extension_version>"
```
where <extension_version> is the version to delete. For example: 1.2.3.

Read the value of the targetPlatform field from the output. Extensions that are not platform-specific use universal. Platform-specific extensions use a value such as linux-x64.

Delete the version:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  sh -c 'curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '"'"'[{"targetPlatform": "<target_platform>", "version": "<extension_version>"}]'"'"' \
  "http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx/admin/api/extension/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name>/delete?token=$OPENVSX_ADMIN_PAT"'

where <target_platform> is the target platform from the previous step. For example: universal.

On success, the registry returns {"success": "Deleted <extension_namespace>.<extension_name> <extension_version>"}.

To delete several versions in one request, add an object for each version to the JSON array. The registry returns one Deleted line for each version.

The request body must include the targetPlatform field for every version. A request body that omits this field fails with 404 and the error Extension not found, even when the version exists.

The registry validates the whole request body before it deletes anything. If any version in the array does not exist, the request fails with 404 and no version is deleted.

A request with no body at all returns 200 with an empty {} response and deletes nothing. Always check that the response contains a success message.

To delete an entire extension, repeat the target platform and delete steps for every version that the version list returned.

Optional: Purge a version to remove it from the database and storage and free its version number for reuse. The request body is the same as for deleting a version:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  sh -c 'curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '"'"'[{"targetPlatform": "<target_platform>", "version": "<extension_version>"}]'"'"' \
  "http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx/admin/api/extension/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name>/purge?token=$OPENVSX_ADMIN_PAT"'

On success, the registry returns {"success": "Purged <extension_namespace>.<extension_name>"}.

Verification

List the versions that the registry still serves:

kubectl exec <openvsx_server_pod> \
  --namespace eclipse-che -- \
  curl -s "http://openvsx-server:8080/openvsx/api/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name>/versions"

The versions that you deleted are no longer listed, and the versions that you kept remain available. When you delete every version of the extension, the request returns 404 and the output contains "error": "Extension not found: <extension_namespace>.<extension_name>".

Do not verify a partial deletion with the /api/<extension_namespace>/<extension_name> endpoint. That endpoint returns the metadata of the latest remaining version, so it still succeeds while any version of the extension remains.

Open the Open VSX registry UI and verify the result for the scope that you deleted.

Additional resources

Delete extensions from the managed Open VSX registry

Delete extensions by using the ovsx command-line tool

Delete extensions by using the Open VSX admin API

Delete extensions by using the `ovsx` command-line tool