Delete Protection¶
Delete protection stops a VM or container from being deleted by mistake, whether from the console, the API or the Terraform provider.
Turn it on¶
- VM: its Configure tab → Delete Protection → tick Block deleting this VM, removing its disks, or restoring a backup over it. Or right-click the VM → Delete protection.
- Container: its Summary → Delete Protection.
Untick it the same way. Turning protection on or off is recorded in the audit log.
What it blocks¶
While protection is on, the console refuses to:
- delete the VM or container,
- remove one of the VM's disks,
- restore a backup over it.
The refusal says the VM is protected. Everything else still works: snapshots, power actions, migration and settings changes.
A protected VM shows a lock on its Summary, and its Delete menu item is greyed out. A bulk delete that includes protected VMs deletes the others and reports how many were refused.
Existing VMs and containers start with protection off.