Command: DELETE

Overview

The DELETE command is used to remove a key-value pair from the in-memory database. It ensures the specified key is validated, removes it from the appropriate memory shard.

Command Name

DELETE

Description

Deletes a key and its associated value from the database. If the key exists, it is removed. If the key does not exist, the command still responds with a successful “Ok” to maintain idempotency.

Syntax 

  DELETE <key>
  • <key>: The string identifier of the key to be deleted from the database.

Permissions

  • No authentication or role-based permission checks are implemented in the current version.
  • All connected clients can issue DELETE commands.

Examples

Example 1: Valid key 
  localhost:9219> DELETE user:1001
Example 2: Key does not exist 
  localhost:9219> DELETE unknownKey
Example 3: Invalid syntax 
  localhost:9219> DELETE
Example 1: Key successfully deleted 
  Ok
Example 2: Key did not exist (still considered successful) 
  Ok
Use Cases
Cleanup stale data

Applications can use DELETE to remove expired or stale data from the database once it’s no longer needed.

Idempotent API behavior

DELETE can be called multiple times safely — even if the key doesn’t exist — making it ideal for REST-like APIs where DELETE operations are meant to be idempotent.

User data revocation

In systems that manage user sessions or temporary keys, DELETE is used to revoke access or clear temporary state.