Deleting objects from versioning-suspended buckets - Amazon Simple Storage Service
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Deleting objects from versioning-suspended buckets

You can delete objects from versioning-suspended buckets to remove an object with a null version ID.

If versioning is suspended for a bucket, a DELETE request:

  • Can only remove an object whose version ID is null.

  • Doesn't remove anything if there isn't a null version of the object in the bucket.

  • Inserts a delete marker into the bucket.

The following figure shows how a simple DELETE removes a null version. (A simple DELETE request is a request that doesn't specify a version ID.) Amazon S3 inserts a delete marker in its place with a version ID of null.

Illustration that shows a simple delete to remove an object with a NULL version ID.

Remember that a delete marker doesn't have content, so you lose the content of the null version when a delete marker replaces it.

The following figure shows a bucket that doesn't have a null version. In this case, the DELETE removes nothing; Amazon S3 just inserts a delete marker.

Illustration that shows a delete marker insertion.

Even in a versioning-suspended bucket, the bucket owner can permanently delete a specified version by including the version ID in the DELETE request. The following figure shows that deleting a specified object version permanently removes that version of the object. Only the bucket owner can delete a specified object version.

Illustration that shows a permanent object deletion using a specified version ID.