Deleting or Destroying an environment

You can delete (or destroy) an environment when it is no longer needed. Deleting an environment permanently removes its virtual machines and any data stored inside them. This action cannot be undone.

This article explains how to delete environments from the Environments list, from the environment details page, and how automatic deletion works for policies and events.

Before You Begin

• Deleting an environment will permanently remove all VMs and any changes made to them. 
• Data inside the environment cannot be recovered after deletion.
• If an environment should not be removed, you can protect it from deletion (see Protecting an environment below).

Deleting Environments Manually

You can manually delete one or more environments at any time from the Environments list or from the environment details page.

Delete a single environment

1. Navigate to Environments.
2. Locate the environment you want to delete. 
3. Open the Row actions menu by clicking on the icon on the right-hand side of the environment row. 
4. Select Delete to delete the environment.

Delete multiple environments (bulk delete)

1. Navigate to Environments.
2. Use the checkboxes on the left to select the environments you want to delete. 
3. Open the Bulk actions menu at the top of the page. 
4. Select Delete environment

Delete from the Environment Details Page

1. Navigate to Environments.
2. Locate the environment you want to delete. 
3. Click into the environment to open the environment details page.
4. Click the Action button.
5. Select Delete environment. 

Protecting an Environment

An environment can be protected from modification and deletion. Once an environment is protected, any user who attempts to modify or delete it will be notified that the environment is protected, so this is not possible. 

To protect an environment from being deleted or modified:

1. Open the environment details page. 
2. Click the Action button
3. Click Protect environment. 
4. Click Yes, Protect to confirm enabling protection of the environment.

A protected environment cannot be deleted until protection is removed.

Automatic Deletion

Some environments may be deleted automatically based on your organisation’s settings.

Policy-based deletion

All environments (except event environments) have a policy that defines their maximum lifetime.

The Destroy after setting controls how long an environment will exist after it has been launched, not when it was created. 

For example, if an environment is created but not launched for 8 days, and the policy is set to destroy after 10 days, the total life of the environment will be 18 days.   

Policies can also be configured to Never destroy by enabling the toggle.  

Event-based deletion

Event environments are deleted by default when the event finishes.

In the event’s Configuration tab, the Delete environments when finished setting determines how long after the event ends the environments will be removed (options range from 1 hour to 1 week).  

After Deletion

• The environment and all associated VMs are permanently destroyed. 
• The environment is removed from the Environments list. 
• Deletion is recorded in the environment’s history/audit trail.

Related Articles

Creating and launching an environment 

Environment policies 

Managing environments 

Orphaned environment reports