Delete a row (Java)

Finds a single row in a table using filter clauses, and then deletes that row.

Deleting rows produces tombstones. Excessive tombstones can impact query performance.

For general information about working with tables and rows, see About tables with the Data API (Java).

Ready to write code? See the examples for this method to get started. If you are new to the Data API, check out the quickstart.

Result

Deletes a row that matches the specified parameters. If no rows match the specified parameters, this method does not delete any rows.

Does not return anything.

Parameters

Use the deleteOne method, which belongs to the com.datastax.astra.client.tables.Table class.

Method signature
void deleteOne(Filter filter)
void deleteOne(
  Filter filter,
  TableDeleteOneOptions options
)
Name Type Summary

filter

Filter

Describes the full primary key of the row to delete.

For this method, the filter can only use the $eq operator and columns in the primary key.

options

TableDeleteOneOptions

General API options for this operation, including the timeout.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to delete a row in a table.

Delete a row by primary key

You can filter by primary key to find and delete a row. The filter must describe the full primary key and cannot include any other columns.

import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClients;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.tables.Table;
import com.datastax.astra.client.tables.definition.rows.Row;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing table
    Table<Row> table =
        DataAPIClients.clientHCD("USERNAME", "PASSWORD")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT", "KEYSPACE_NAME")
            .getTable("TABLE_NAME");

    // Delete a row
    Filter filter =
        Filters.and(
            Filters.eq("title", "Hidden Shadows of the Past"),
            Filters.eq("author", "John Anthony"));

    table.deleteOne(filter);
  }
}

Client reference

For more information, see the client reference.

Was this helpful?

Give Feedback

How can we improve the documentation?

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2026 | Privacy policy | Terms of use Manage Privacy Choices

Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Tomcat, Tomcat, Apache Lucene, Apache Solr, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Pulsar, Pulsar, Apache Spark, Spark, Apache TinkerPop, TinkerPop, Apache Kafka and Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation or its subsidiaries in Canada, the United States and/or other countries. Kubernetes is the registered trademark of the Linux Foundation.

General Inquiries: Contact IBM