VMdel

VMdel is a software utility for managing the deletion of virtual machines across virtualization environments. It emphasizes safe, auditable removal by enforcing pre-delete checks, offering optional backups or snapshots, and recording each deletion in an audit log. The goal is to reduce accidental data loss and to streamline life-cycle management for operators and automated workflows.

Origin and scope: VMdel began as part of virtualization administration toolkits in the early 2020s. Its modular design uses adapters for multiple hypervisors and clouds, enabling consistent deletion workflows across on-premises and hosted environments. The project is community-driven, with contributions from system administrators, developers, and security professionals.

Key features include dry-run simulations, mandatory pre-delete validations (existence, dependency checks, and snapshot status), optional backup or snapshot creation, and post-deletion cleanup. It supports bulk deletion, tag-based selection, and integration hooks for CI/CD pipelines. All actions generate detailed audit logs.

Architecture and compatibility: VMdel employs a plug-in adapter model to separate platform-specific logic. It provides a CLI and REST API, with authentication and role-based access control. New hypervisors or cloud environments can be supported by additional adapters, preserving consistent behavior across deployments.

Usage examples: delete a single VM: VMdel delete vm-123. Dry-run: VMdel delete --dry-run vm-123. Bulk from a file: VMdel delete --bulk vms.txt. Optional --backup or --snapshot preserve data before removal; prompts are suppressed only with explicit safe flags.

See also: Virtual machine, Hypervisor, VM lifecycle management.