Chapter 13 GET POST

deleteRecordings – Delete Recordings

The deleteRecordings endpoint permanently deletes one or more recordings from your BigBlueButton server. You can pass a single recording ID or a comma-separated list to remove multiple recordings in one request.

This API call takes effect immediately without any confirmation prompt. Make sure you have the correct recording IDs before sending the request. Deleted recordings cannot be restored through the API.

Endpoint

GET https://api-guide.bbbserver.com/bigbluebutton/api/deleteRecordings?<parameters>&checksum=replace-with-checksum

Parameters

Parameter Type Required Default Description
recordID String Yes — A single recording ID or a comma-separated list of recording IDs to delete.

Example Request

Delete a single recording: 

https://api-guide.bbbserver.com/bigbluebutton/api/deleteRecordings?recordID=replace-with-recording-id&checksum=replace-with-checksum

Delete multiple recordings in one call: 

https://api-guide.bbbserver.com/bigbluebutton/api/deleteRecordings?recordID=replace-with-recording-id-1,replace-with-recording-id-2&checksum=replace-with-checksum

Example Response

A successful call returns the following XML: 

<response>
  <returncode>SUCCESS</returncode>
  <deleted>true</deleted>
</response>

Error Responses

messageKey Description
checksumError The checksum is invalid.
missingParamRecordID The recordID parameter was not provided.
notFound No recording with the specified ID was found on the server.

Recordings are not physically removed from disk immediately. The server moves the files into a deleted/ directory. A server administrator can potentially recover deleted recordings from this directory before they are permanently purged.

Behaviour After Deletion

  • The recording status changes to deleted.
  • Deleted recordings no longer appear in standard getRecordings responses.
  • To retrieve deleted recordings via the API, pass state=deleted or state=any as the state parameter in a getRecordings call.
On bbbserver.de, you can call this endpoint using your API credentials found in the server management dashboard. Make sure the recording IDs match recordings that belong to your server instance.

Best Practices

Always verify recording IDs with a getRecordings call before deleting to avoid removing the wrong recordings.

Implement a confirmation step in your application before calling this endpoint, since the API itself does not require confirmation.

Log every deletion request, including the recording IDs and timestamps, so you can trace which recordings were removed and when.

When deleting multiple recordings, batch them into a single comma-separated request rather than making individual API calls for each recording.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not immediately. The server moves the recording files into a dedicated deleted directory. A server administrator can recover them from there until the files are permanently purged by a cleanup process. However, there is no API endpoint to restore deleted recordings.

Yes. Pass a comma-separated list of recording IDs in the recordID parameter. All specified recordings will be deleted in one call.

The API may return a notFound error if none of the specified recording IDs can be matched. When mixing valid and invalid IDs, behaviour may vary by BigBlueButton version. It is recommended to verify all IDs before sending the request.

Yes, but only if you explicitly request them by setting the state parameter to deleted or any in your getRecordings call. By default, deleted recordings are hidden from the results.

No. The BigBlueButton API does not provide an endpoint to restore deleted recordings. Recovery is only possible at the server filesystem level by a system administrator.