# Delete a domain from Cloider

> Delete a free subdomain or custom domain from Cloider, what happens to its DNS records and targets, and how to move DNS away first so email keeps working.

Deleting a domain removes it from your Cloider account together with all of its DNS records and targets. A free
subdomain is released so that anyone can claim it, and a custom domain stops being answered by Cloider's nameservers.
Deletion is permanent. This page explains exactly what is deleted, how to delete from each tool, and the order to
follow so that a domain you still use keeps working.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **What is deleted** | The domain, every DNS record on it, and every target routing it |
| **What stays** | Your apps, clusters, Services and buckets with their websites; the domain's registration at your registrar |
| **Undo** | Not possible. Add the domain again and recreate its records and targets |
| **The name afterwards** | Free to be added by any account |
| **Who can delete** | Members with write access. Read-only members and tokens get `You have read-only access to this account, you can not delete domains!` |
| **Tools** | Dashboard, `cloider domain delete`, Terraform, `DELETE /api/domains/<domain>`, MCP `delete_domain` |

## What happens when you delete a domain?

1. **DNS records** are removed from Cloider's nameservers, then from your account. For a custom domain that still uses
   Cloider's nameservers, every name under it stops resolving: resolvers get `NXDOMAIN` once their cached answers
   expire. Websites, email and verification records on the domain stop working.
2. **Targets** routing the domain are deleted. The apps, cluster Services and bucket websites they pointed at keep
   running, and a bucket's website stays on at its own `s3-website` address.
3. **The domain** is removed from your account, and its name is free for any account to add or claim.

Nothing changes at your registrar: the domain stays registered to you, and its nameservers stay whatever you set them
to. If they still point at Cloider, change them (see below).

## Before you delete a custom domain you still use

If the domain should keep working somewhere else, move its DNS first, in this order:

1. **Export the records.** `cloider dns list example.com -o json > example.com-dns.json` saves every record.
2. **Recreate them at the new DNS provider**, including MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for email.
3. **Change the nameservers** at your registrar to the new provider's.
4. **Wait at least 48 hours**, until resolvers have stopped asking Cloider's nameservers.
5. **Delete the domain** in Cloider.

The domain's page in the dashboard says the same: **This action is irreversible. Make sure to configure your domain
with another DNS provider before deleting this domain.**

If you only want to stop serving an app or Service on the domain, don't delete the domain: delete the
[target](/domains/targets#delete-a-target) instead. The domain and its records stay.

## Delete a domain

**Dashboard**

**A custom domain**, from its page:

1. Open **Domains** in the sidebar and click the domain.
2. In the **Delete domain** section at the bottom (**This will delete all associated DNS records and targets.**), click
   **Delete domain**.
3. The **Delete Domain** dialog says **This will permanently delete the domain** with its name. Click
   **I want to delete the domain**.
4. Type the domain's name to confirm, and click **Delete domain**. A message confirms **Domain deleted successfully**.

**Any domain**, from the list: on **Domains**, open the domain's actions menu, click **Delete**, and confirm the same
way.

**CLI**

```bash
cloider domain delete example.com
```

```text title="Output"
This permanently deletes domain example.com.
Type example.com to confirm: example.com
✓ Deleted example.com
```

In scripts and CI, where nothing can be typed, add `--yes`:

```bash
cloider domain delete acme-blog.cloider.app --yes
```

**Terraform**

Remove the `cloider_domain` resource, and the `cloider_dns_record` and `cloider_target` resources that use it, then
apply:

```bash
terraform plan    # shows the domain, its records and targets being destroyed
terraform apply
```

To destroy only the domain and what depends on it:

```bash
terraform destroy -target=cloider_domain.example
```

Deleting a domain outside Terraform deletes its records and targets too; run `terraform apply` afterwards to bring the
state in line, which recreates them if they are still in your configuration.

**API**

```bash
curl -X DELETE https://cloider.com/api/domains/example.com \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLOIDER_TOKEN"
```

The response is the list of domains left in the account:

```json title="Response"
[
  {
    "domain_name": "acme-blog.cloider.app",
    "domain_type": "Subdomain",
    "status": "Active",
    "created_at": "2026-10-20T09:12:44Z"
  }
]
```

A domain that isn't in your account answers `404`.

**MCP**

```text title="Prompt"
Delete the domain example.com from Cloider.
```

```json title="Tool call: delete_domain"
{"domain": "example.com"}
```

`delete_domain` is marked as a tool that deletes, so MCP clients can ask you before running it. See
[Safety and permissions](/mcp/safety-and-permissions).

## Verify

The domain is gone from `cloider domain list` and from the **Domains** page. For a custom domain that still used
Cloider's nameservers, Cloider now answers `NXDOMAIN`:

```bash
dig @ns1.cloider.com example.com A
```

```text title="Output"
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 40212
```

If you moved DNS to another provider, check that the public answer comes from there:

```bash
dig example.com A +short
dig example.com MX +short
```

## Free subdomains and app deletion

When you delete an app, the free subdomains claimed with it are deleted too, unless you choose to keep them: the
dashboard's delete dialog has them selected, and `cloider app delete --keep-domains` keeps them. A custom domain is
never deleted with an app; only its targets to that app are removed. See
[Pause, resume and delete apps](/apps/pause-resume-and-delete).

Deleting a free subdomain releases the name immediately. If you might want it again, keep it: a subdomain without
targets costs nothing.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Cause and fix |
| --- | --- |
| `You have read-only access to this account, you can not delete domains!` | Ask an account member with write access, or use a token with write access |
| `the name didn't match, nothing was deleted` (CLI) | Type the domain's exact name at the prompt |
| `deleting domain example.com needs --yes when not running in a terminal` (CLI) | Add `--yes` in scripts |
| `Operation failed, could not delete DNS records` | Nothing was deleted. Try again in a moment |
| Email stopped after deleting | The domain still pointed at Cloider's nameservers. Recreate the records at another DNS provider and change the nameservers |

## Next steps

- [Nameservers](/domains/nameservers): move DNS to or from Cloider.
- [Free subdomains](/domains/free-subdomains): claim a new name.
- [Targets](/domains/targets): stop routing without deleting the domain.