Bulk Operations

Overview

Bulk operations allow you to delete multiple image tags efficiently based on patterns, age, or retention policies.

Pattern-Based Deletion

Delete tags matching wildcard patterns:

# Delete all dev tags
Pattern: dev-*

# Delete all feature branch tags
Pattern: feature-*

# Delete all tags with specific suffix
Pattern: *-snapshot

Age-Based Cleanup

Remove tags older than specified days:

• Delete tags older than 30 days
• Delete tags older than 90 days
• Custom age threshold

Retention Policies

Keep minimum number of recent tags:

• Keep last 5 tags, delete older ones
• Keep last 10 tags, delete older ones
• Custom retention count

Dry Run Mode

Preview deletions before executing:

1. Enable dry run mode
2. Configure deletion criteria
3. Review list of tags to be deleted
4. Execute if satisfied

Safety Features

• Mandatory Keep Minimum: Required field when using age-based deletion
• Dry Run by Default: Preview results before actual deletion
• Confirmation Checkbox: Must acknowledge danger before running
• Operation Summary: AWS-style summary showing exactly what will happen
• Visual Warnings: Red danger buttons and prominent alerts
• Input Validation: Frontend and backend validation of parameters

Recommended Keep Minimum Values

When NOT to Use Bulk Operations

• Production base images (company-wide base images)
• Images with unknown usage
• Repositories you don't fully understand
• When unsure about deployment dependencies

Limitations (By Design)

No Usage History

• System does NOT track which images are in use
• Cannot detect if image is deployed in production
• Cannot identify base images used by other images
• User must know their deployment architecture

Manual Garbage Collection Required

• Deleting tags only removes manifest references
• Actual image layers remain on disk
• Must run garbage collection manually to free space
• See "Cleanup Instructions" menu for commands

Example Workflows

Clean Up Development Tags

1. Navigate to repository
2. Click "Bulk Delete"
3. Pattern: dev-*
4. Enable dry run
5. Review tags to delete
6. Execute deletion

Implement Retention Policy

1. Navigate to repository
2. Click "Bulk Delete"
3. Select "Keep last N tags"
4. Set retention count: 10
5. Enable dry run
6. Review tags to delete
7. Execute deletion

Recovery Options

If you accidentally delete important tags:

1. Check CI/CD pipeline: May have build artifacts
2. Rebuild from source: If you have Dockerfile and code
3. Restore from backup: If you backup your registry
4. Pull from other environments: Dev/staging may have copies

Prevention is key: Always use dry run, keep higher minimum than needed, and document critical images before cleanup.