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Delete Identity

Permanently delete an identity. This operation cannot be undone.

Use this for data cleanup, compliance requirements, or when removing entities from your system.

Important
Requires identity.*.delete_identity permission
Associated API keys remain functional but lose shared resources
External ID becomes available for reuse immediately

1 min read
post/v2/identities.deleteIdentity
Request example
Response
post/v2/identities.deleteIdentity

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token in the Authorization header of each request:

Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
Security best practices:

  • Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
  • Use different root keys for different environments
  • Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures
  • Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle
  • Monitor key usage with audit logs.

Body

application/json
identitystringrequired#
The ID of the identity to delete. This can be either the externalId (from your own system that was used during identity creation) or the identityId (the internal ID returned by the identity service).

Length: min 1

Responses

application/json
Identity successfully deleted
metaobjectrequired#
Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The requestId is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.
Show child attributes
requestIdstringrequired#
A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.