> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://actianvectorai-ml-crtx-1153-academy-tutorial-rewrites.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Delete points

> Remove points from a collection by ID and compact to reclaim storage.

Delete individual points or batches of points from your collection. Deleted points can be recovered only before you compact the collection.

<Note>
  Before you begin, make sure you have a running VectorAI DB instance and an existing collection with points. See [Insert points](/docs/fundamentals/points/insert-points-task) to add data first.
</Note>

## Delete a single point

The following example removes a single point by ID.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from actian_vectorai import VectorAIClient

  COLLECTION = "products"

  # Connect to VectorAI DB server
  with VectorAIClient("localhost:6574") as client:
      # Delete point with ID 11
      client.points.delete_by_ids(COLLECTION, ids=[11])
      print("Point deleted successfully")
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  import { VectorAIClient } from '@actian/vectorai-client';

  const COLLECTION = "products";

  async function main() {
      const client = new VectorAIClient('localhost:6574');

      try {
          // Delete point with ID 11
          await client.points.deleteByIds(COLLECTION, [11], { wait: true });
          console.log("Point deleted successfully");
      } finally {
          client.close();
      }
  }

  main().catch(console.error);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Delete multiple points

Deleting a nonexistent point does not cause an error — the operation completes successfully regardless of whether the point exists. The following example removes multiple points at once.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from actian_vectorai import VectorAIClient

  COLLECTION = "products"

  # Connect to VectorAI DB server
  with VectorAIClient("localhost:6574") as client:
      # Delete multiple points
      delete_ids = [9, 10, 12, 13]
      client.points.delete_by_ids(COLLECTION, ids=delete_ids)
      
      print(f"Deleted {len(delete_ids)} points")
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  import { VectorAIClient } from '@actian/vectorai-client';

  const COLLECTION = "products";

  async function main() {
      const client = new VectorAIClient('localhost:6574');

      try {
          // Delete multiple points
          const deleteIds = [9, 10, 12, 13];
          await client.points.deleteByIds(COLLECTION, deleteIds, { wait: true });

          console.log(`Deleted ${deleteIds.length} points`);
      } finally {
          client.close();
      }
  }

  main().catch(console.error);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Compact a collection

After deleting points, run a compaction operation to reclaim storage space and optimize the index. The `compact()` method is an alias for `optimize()`.

Compaction permanently removes deleted points from storage, rebuilds the index structure, and reclaims disk space. Run compaction after large-scale deletions to maintain optimal performance.

<Warning>
  Compaction is a resource-intensive operation that may temporarily impact collection performance. Run during low-traffic periods when possible.
</Warning>

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from actian_vectorai import VectorAIClient

  COLLECTION = "products"

  # Connect to VectorAI DB server
  with VectorAIClient("localhost:6574") as client:
      # Delete points
      client.points.delete_by_ids(COLLECTION, ids=[9, 10, 11, 12])
      print("Deleted 4 points")

      # Compact to reclaim storage
      print("Compacting collection...")
      client.vde.optimize(COLLECTION)  # Optimize and reclaim space
      print("Collection compacted successfully")
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  import { VectorAIClient } from '@actian/vectorai-client';

  const COLLECTION = "products";

  async function main() {
      const client = new VectorAIClient('localhost:6574');

      try {
          // Delete points
          await client.points.deleteByIds(COLLECTION, [9, 10, 11, 12], { wait: true });
          console.log("Deleted 4 points");

          // Compact to reclaim storage
          console.log("Compacting collection...");
          await client.vde.optimize(COLLECTION);  // Optimize and reclaim space
          console.log("Collection compacted successfully");
      } finally {
          client.close();
      }
  }

  main().catch(console.error);
  ```
</CodeGroup>