Delete Documents

Introduction

Deletions in MongoDB use deleteOne and deleteMany. Both are irreversible — backups and soft-delete patterns are how mature teams stay safe.

Syntax reference

db.users.deleteOne({ _id: 1 });
db.events.deleteMany({ ts: { $lt: ISODate("2024-01-01") } });

Real-world use

Most production teams implement soft delete (set deletedAt) instead of physical delete — for audit + recovery.

Best practices

• Default to soft-delete for user-facing data.
• Use TTL indexes for time-based expiry instead of cron deletes.

Common mistakes

• deleteMany({}) with empty filter wipes the collection — double-check filters.