Find and delete a document

Finds a single document in a collection using filter and sort clauses, and then deletes that document.

This method and the method to delete a document have the same database effect but differ in their return value. This method returns the document that was found and deleted. The method to delete a document returns details about the success of the deletion.

Result

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

Deletes a document that matches the specified parameters, and returns a dictionary representation of the document. If no document was found, returns None.

The fields included in the returned document depend on the projection specified in the method.

Example response:

{'_id': 101, 'name': 'John Doe'}

Deletes a document that matches the specified parameters, and returns a promise that resolves to the document (WithId<Schema>). If no document was found, returns returns a promise that resolves to null.

The fields included in the returned document depend on the projection specified in the method.

Example resolved response:

{_id: 101, name: 'John Doe'}

Deletes a document that matches the specified parameters, and returns the document (Optional<T>). If no document was found, returns returns Optional.empty().

The fields included in the returned document depend on the projection specified in the method.

Deletes a document that matches the specified parameters, and returns a dictionary representation of the document. If no document was found, returns null instead of a dictionary representation of the document.

The fields included in the returned document depend on the projection specified in the method.

The response also includes details about the success of the operation, such as the number of documents that were deleted.

Example response:

{
  "data": {
    "document": {
      "_id":"101",
      "name":"John Doe"
    }
  },
  "status":{
    "deletedCount": 1
  }
}

Example response if no document was found:

{
  "data":{
    "document":null
  },
  "status":{
    "deletedCount": 0
  }
}

Parameters

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

Name Type Summary

filter

Optional[Dict[str, Any]]

A predicate expressed as a dictionary according to the Data API filter syntax. For example: {}, {"name": "John"}, {"price": {"$lt": 100}}, {"$and": [{"name": "John"}, {"price": {"$lt": 100}}]}. For a list of available operators and examples, see Data API operators. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

projection

Optional[Union[Iterable[str], Dict[str, bool]]]

See Find a document and Projection clauses.

sort

Optional[Dict[str, Any]]

See Find a document and Sort clause. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

max_time_ms

Optional[int]

A timeout, in milliseconds, for the underlying HTTP request. This method uses the collection-level timeout by default.
Name Type Summary

filter

Filter<Schema>

A filter to select the document to delete. For a list of available operators and examples, see Data API operators. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

options?

FindOneAndDeleteOptions

The options for this operation.

Options (FindOneAndDeleteOptions):

Name Type Summary

projection?

Projection

See Find a document and Projection clauses.

sort?

Sort

See Find a document and Sort clauses. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

maxTimeMS?

number

The maximum time in milliseconds that the client should wait for the operation to complete each underlying HTTP request.

includeResultMetadata?

boolean

When true, returns ok: 1, in addition to the document, if the command executed successfully.
Name Type Summary

filter (optional)

Filter

Filter criteria to find the document to delete. The filter is a JSON object that can contain any valid Data API filter expression. For a list of available operators and examples, see Data API operators. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

options (optional)

FindOneAndDeleteOptions

Set the different options for the find and delete operation, including the following:
Name Type Summary

findOneAndDelete

command

The Data API command to find and delete the first document in a collection that matches the given filter/sort criteria. If there is no match, then no action is taken.

sort, filter

object

Search criteria to find the document to delete. For a list of available operators, see Data API operators. For sort and filter examples, see Find a document and Sort clauses. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort or filter queries.

projection

object

Select a subset of fields to include in the response for the returned document. If empty or unset, the default projection is used. The default projection doesn’t always include all document fields. For more information and examples, see Projection clauses.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to delete a document in a collection.

Delete a document by ID

All documents have a unique _id property. You can use a filter to find a document with a specific _id, and then delete that document.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Delete a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {"_id": "101"}
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Delete a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    { _id: "101" }
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Delete a document
        Filter filter = Filters.eq("_id", "101");
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {
      "_id": "101"
    }
  }
}'

Delete a document that matches a filter

You can use a filter to find a document that matches specific criteria. For example, you can find a document with an isCheckedOut value of false and a numberOfPages value less than 300.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Data API operators.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Delete a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {
        "$and": [
            {"isCheckedOut": False},
            {"numberOfPages": {"$lt": 300}},
        ]
    }
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Delete a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    {
      $and: [
        { isCheckedOut: false },
        { numberOfPages: { $lt: 300 } }
      ],
    }
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Delete a document
        Filter filter = Filters.and(
          Filters.eq("isCheckedOut", false),
          Filters.lt("numberOfPages", 300));
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {"$and": [
      {"isCheckedOut": false},
      {"numberOfPages": {"$lt": 300}}
    ]}
  }
}'

Delete a document that is most similar to a search vector

To find the document whose $vector value is most similar to a given vector, use a sort with the vector embeddings that you want to match. For more information, see Perform a vector search.

Vector search is only available for vector-enabled collections. For more information, see Vector and vectorize.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Delete a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {},
    sort={"$vector": [0.1, 0.2, 0.3]},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Delete a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    {},
    { sort: { $vector: [0.1, 0.2, 0.3] } },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.FindOneAndDeleteOptions;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Delete a document
        Filter filter = new Filter();
        FindOneAndDeleteOptions options = new FindOneAndDeleteOptions()
            .sort(new float[] {0.12f, 0.52f, 0.32f});
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter, options);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {},
    "sort": {
      "$vector": [0.1, 0.2, 0.3]
    }
  }
}'

Delete a document that is most similar to a search string

To find the document whose $vector value is most similar to the $vector value of a given search string, use a sort with the search string that you want to vectorize and match. For more information, see Perform a vector search.

Vector search with vectorize is only available for collections that have vectorize enabled. For more information, see Vector and vectorize.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Delete a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {},
    sort={"$vectorize": "Text to vectorize"}
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Delete a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    {},
    { sort: { $vectorize: "Text to vectorize" } }
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.FindOneAndDeleteOptions;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Delete a document
        Filter filter = new Filter();
        FindOneAndDeleteOptions options = new FindOneAndDeleteOptions()
            .sort("Text to vectorize");
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter, options);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {},
    "sort": { "$vectorize": "Text to vectorize" }
  }
}'

Delete a document after applying a non-vector sort

You can use a sort clause to sort documents by one or more fields.

For more information, see Sort clauses.

Sort clauses can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you can’t reference non-indexed fields in sort queries.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient, constants

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Find a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {"metadata.language": "English"},
    sort={
        "rating": constants.SortDocuments.ASCENDING,
        "title": constants.SortDocuments.DESCENDING,
    }
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Find a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    { "metadata.language": "English" },
    { sort: {
      rating: 1, // ascending
      title: -1 // descending
    } }
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.FindOneAndDeleteOptions;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Delete a document
        Filter filter = Filters.and(
          Filters.eq("isCheckedOut", false),
          Filters.lt("numberOfPages", 300));
        FindOneAndDeleteOptions options = new FindOneAndDeleteOptions()
            .sort(Sorts.ascending("rating"))
            .sort(Sorts.descending("title"));
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter, options);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": { "metadata.language": "English" },
    "sort": {
      "rating": 1,
      "title": -1
    }
  }
}'

Include only specific fields in the response

To specify which fields to include or exclude in the returned document, use a projection.

Certain fields, like $vector and $vectorize, are excluded by default and will only be returned if you specify that they should be included. Certain fields, like _id, are included by default.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Find a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {"metadata.language": "English"},
    projection={"isCheckedOut": True, "title": True}
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Find a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    { "metadata.language": "English" },
    { projection: { isCheckedOut: true, title: true} },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.FindOneAndDeleteOptions;

import java.util.Optional;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Find a document
        Filter filter = Filters.eq("metadata.language", "English");
        FindOneAndDeleteOptions options = new FindOneAndDeleteOptions()
            .projection(Projections.include("isCheckedOut", "title"));
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter, options);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {"metadata.language": "English"},
    "projection": {"isCheckedOut": true, "title": true}
  }
}'

Exclude specific fields from the response

To specify which fields to include or exclude in the returned document, use a projection.

Certain fields, like $vector and $vectorize, are excluded by default and will only be returned if you specify that they should be included. Certain fields, like _id, are included by default.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
database = client.get_database("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Find a document
result = collection.find_one_and_delete(
    {"metadata.language": "English"},
    projection={"isCheckedOut": False, "title": False}
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN');
const database = client.db('ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT');
const collection = database.collection('COLLECTION_NAME');

// Find a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.findOneAndDelete(
    { "metadata.language": "English" },
    { projection: { isCheckedOut: false, title: false} },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
package com.datastax.astra.client.collection;

import com.datastax.astra.client.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.Filters;
import com.datastax.astra.client.model.FindOneAndDeleteOptions;

import java.util.Optional;

public class FindOneAndDelete {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get an existing collection
        Collection<Document> collection = new DataAPIClient("ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

        // Find a document
        Filter filter = Filters.eq("metadata.language", "English");
        FindOneAndDeleteOptions options = new FindOneAndDeleteOptions()
            .projection(Projections.exclude("isCheckedOut", "title"));
        Optional<Document> result = collection.findOneAndDelete(filter, options);
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE/ASTRA_DB_COLLECTION" \
--header "Token: ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "findOneAndDelete": {
    "filter": {"metadata.language": "English"},
    "projection": {"isCheckedOut": false, "title": false}
  }
}'

Client reference

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

For more information, see the client reference.

For more information, see the client reference.

For more information, see the client reference.

Client reference documentation is not applicable for HTTP.

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