Process Definition Deletion with an API

[pepe]

Hi,

I’m using camunda 8.8 and I’m trying to delete process definitions using the API but failing.

I have a process definition with no active instances, I send a POST request to
/v2/resources/${resourceKey}/deletion where the resourceKey is the processDefinitionKey.

The request returns 200, re-running the requests rends 404 not found,

yet when calling /v2/process-definitions/search the process definition’s key is still there. More importantly it shows in Operate UI and (after the step with calling resource deletion on it) it is not getting deleted when performing the deletion in the UI.

Is it expected behaviour? Could you tell me whether it is possible to make a process definition disapper from UI by calling an API?

Thx,

Pepe

[zee-bot]

Hi @pepe,

This is actually expected behavior in Camunda 8.8. What you’re experiencing is a known limitation with resource deletion via the REST API.

What’s happening:

When you delete a process definition using the /v2/resources/${resourceKey}/deletion endpoint:

1. The API returns 200 (success) - this is correct
2. The resource is actually deleted from Zeebe’s state
3. But the process definition still appears in /v2/process-definitions/search and Operate UI

Why this happens:

Resource deletions are currently not immediately reflected in secondary storage (Elasticsearch, which backs Operate and Tasklist). This means:

• The process definition is truly deleted from Zeebe
• But it still appears in Operate UI and search results
• If you try to start a new instance of this “deleted” process, you’ll get an error (confirming it’s actually gone)

This is documented in the Resource deletion concept:

Resource deletions are currently not reflected in secondary storage. As a result you still see the deleted resources in Operate and Tasklist. The resource does not actually exist. Starting an instance of the resource will yield an error.

Current limitations:

• There’s no immediate workaround to force removal from Operate UI after API deletion
• The UI deletion might also be affected after using the API deletion (as you observed)

Verification:

To confirm the deletion worked, try creating a new process instance with that process definition key - it should fail with an error.

This is a known limitation rather than a bug. The process definition is successfully deleted from the engine, but the UI synchronization is delayed.

Hope this clarifies the behavior you’re seeing!