Skip to main content
  • Send to AI

Delete Content

Remove content items from your catalog. This operation is permanent and irreversible.

Permanent Deletion

Deleted content:

  • Is removed from the catalog and storefront
  • Is no longer accessible via the API
  • Files, metadata, and associated data are permanently deleted
  • Cannot be restored — create the content again if needed

Endpoint​

DELETE /api/v3/content/{content_id}

Path Parameters​

ParameterTypeDescription
content_idstringContent internal ID or external ID

Query Parameters​

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
id_typestringinternalinternal for numeric ID, external for external ID

Request Examples​

Delete by Internal ID​

curl -X DELETE "https://yourstore.publica.la/api/v3/content/468166" \
  -H "X-User-Token: your-api-token"

Delete by External ID (ISBN)​

curl -X DELETE "https://yourstore.publica.la/api/v3/content/9781234567890?id_type=external" \
  -H "X-User-Token: your-api-token"

Response​

Success Response (204 No Content)​

A successful deletion returns a 204 No Content response with an empty body.

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Verifying Deletion

To confirm deletion, attempt to retrieve the content. A 404 Not Found response confirms the content was deleted.

Error Handling​

Forbidden (403)​

{
  "message": "This action is unauthorized."
}

This occurs when:

  • The content belongs to a different tenant

Content Not Found (404)​

{
  "message": "Content not found."
}

This occurs when:

  • The internal ID doesn't exist
  • The external ID doesn't exist (with id_type=external)
  • The content was already deleted

Authentication Error (401)​

{
  "message": "Unauthenticated."
}

When content is deleted:

  • Permanently deleted: files, metadata, prices, descriptions, and audiobook tracks
  • Preserved: existing orders and historical analytics data

Use Cases​

Removing Outdated Content​

Delete content that is no longer relevant:

# Old edition replaced by new one
curl -X DELETE "https://yourstore.publica.la/api/v3/content/OLD-ISBN?id_type=external" \
  -H "X-User-Token: your-api-token"

Content Rights Expiration​

Remove content when publishing rights expire:

curl -X DELETE "https://yourstore.publica.la/api/v3/content/9781234567890?id_type=external" \
  -H "X-User-Token: your-api-token"

Catalog Cleanup​

Remove test or duplicate content:

# Delete test content
curl -X DELETE "https://yourstore.publica.la/api/v3/content/TEST-001?id_type=external" \
  -H "X-User-Token: your-api-token"

Troubleshooting​

Cannot Delete Content​

IssueSolution
404 Not FoundVerify content ID and id_type parameter
401 UnauthenticatedCheck API token is valid and has permissions
Content still appearsVerify deletion with a GET request

Accidental Deletion​

Deleted content cannot be recovered. You will need to recreate the content from scratch.

See Also​

X

Graph View