Delete an existing registry from Harness Artifact Registry. This permanently removes the registry and all its contents.
Deleting a registry is permanent and cannot be undone. All artifacts in the registry will be deleted.
Usage
hc registry delete [name] [flags]
Arguments
Name of the registry to delete
Examples
Delete a Registry
Delete a specific registry:
hc registry delete my-old-registry
Delete with Context
Delete a registry in a specific project:
hc registry delete old-npm-packages --project my-project
hc registry delete test-registry --org my-org --project my-test-project
Output
Successful Deletion
$ hc registry delete my-old-registry
Deleted registry my-old-registry
Error: Registry Not Found
$ hc registry delete nonexistent-registry
failed to delete registry nonexistent-registry: registry not found
What Gets Deleted
When you delete a registry, the following are permanently removed:
- All artifacts: All packages, images, and versions stored in the registry
- Metadata: All custom metadata associated with the registry
- Configuration: Registry settings and policies
- Access logs: Historical access logs for the registry
- Statistics: Download counts and usage metrics
Pre-Deletion Checklist
Before deleting a registry, verify:
- No active dependencies: Ensure no applications or pipelines depend on this registry
- Backup artifacts: If needed, download or migrate important artifacts
- Update configurations: Remove registry references from client configurations
- Check CI/CD: Update any CI/CD pipelines using this registry
Verify Before Deletion
Check what will be deleted:
# View registry details
hc registry get my-old-registry
# Check registry size and contents
hc registry get my-old-registry --format json
Deletion Safety
The CLI does not prompt for confirmation. Make sure you specify the correct registry name.
# Using a shell script
REGISTRY="my-old-registry"
echo "Are you sure you want to delete $REGISTRY? (yes/no)"
read CONFIRM
if [ "$CONFIRM" = "yes" ]; then
hc registry delete "$REGISTRY"
else
echo "Deletion cancelled"
fi
Common Use Cases
Clean Up Test Registries
Remove registries created for testing:
hc registry delete test-docker-reg
hc registry delete temp-npm-packages
hc registry delete dev-experiments
Remove Deprecated Registries
Delete old registries that are no longer used:
# List registries first
hc registry list
# Delete deprecated ones
hc registry delete legacy-maven-repo
hc registry delete old-npm-registry
Delete by Pattern
Delete multiple registries using a shell loop:
# List test registries
hc registry list | grep "test-" | awk '{print $1}' > test-registries.txt
# Review the list
cat test-registries.txt
# Delete them
while read registry; do
echo "Deleting $registry"
hc registry delete "$registry"
done < test-registries.txt
Migration Before Deletion
If you need to preserve artifacts, migrate them first:
# Option 1: Migrate to another Harness registry
hc registry migrate -c migration-config.yaml
# Option 2: Pull artifacts locally
docker pull registry.harness.io/account/my-registry/image:tag
# Option 3: Push to external registry
docker tag registry.harness.io/account/my-registry/image:tag external.com/image:tag
docker push external.com/image:tag
# Then delete
hc registry delete my-registry
Error Messages
Registry Not Found
failed to delete registry nonexistent-registry: registry not found
Permission Denied
failed to delete registry my-registry: permission denied
Registry In Use
failed to delete registry my-registry: registry is referenced by active resources
Context-Aware Deletion
The registry is deleted from your current authentication context:
# Current context
hc registry delete my-registry
# Specific context
hc registry delete my-registry \
--account my-account \
--org my-org \
--project my-project
Registry Naming
Ensure you provide the exact registry identifier:
# Correct
hc registry delete my-docker-registry
# Incorrect (display name instead of identifier)
hc registry delete "My Docker Registry"
Automation
Incorporate deletion into automation scripts:
#!/bin/bash
# cleanup-old-registries.sh
REGISTRIES=("test-reg-1" "test-reg-2" "temp-registry")
for registry in "${REGISTRIES[@]}"; do
echo "Deleting $registry..."
if hc registry delete "$registry" 2>&1 | grep -q "Deleted registry"; then
echo "✓ Successfully deleted $registry"
else
echo "✗ Failed to delete $registry"
fi
done
Recovery
There is no way to recover a deleted registry or its contents. Ensure you have backups if needed.
- Contact support: Harness support may be able to assist with recent deletions
- Restore from backup: If you have artifact backups, create a new registry and re-upload
- Rebuild artifacts: Re-run builds to recreate artifacts