How to Delete a DAG in Apache Airflow Quickly and Safely

To delete a DAG in Airflow, first remove the DAG file from the DAGs folder. Then, clear the DAG's metadata from the Airflow database using the airflow dags delete command or manually via the Airflow UI to fully remove it.

Syntax

Deleting a DAG involves two main steps: removing the DAG file and clearing its metadata. The key command to clear metadata is:

airflow dags delete <dag_id> --yes

Here, <dag_id> is the identifier of the DAG you want to delete. The --yes flag skips confirmation prompts.

bash

airflow dags delete <dag_id> --yes

Example

This example shows how to delete a DAG named example_dag. First, delete the DAG file from your DAGs folder. Then run the command below to remove its metadata from Airflow's database.

bash

airflow dags delete example_dag --yes

Output

Are you sure you want to delete DAG example_dag? [y/N]: y
Deleted DAG: example_dag

Common Pitfalls

• Not removing the DAG file: Airflow will keep detecting the DAG if the file remains in the DAGs folder.
• Not clearing metadata: The DAG will still appear in the Airflow UI and database if metadata is not deleted.
• Forgetting to restart scheduler/webserver: Sometimes a restart is needed to refresh the UI after deletion.

bash

## Wrong: Only deleting metadata but not the DAG file
airflow dags delete example_dag --yes

## Right: Delete DAG file first, then metadata
rm ~/airflow/dags/example_dag.py
airflow dags delete example_dag --yes

Quick Reference

Summary tips for deleting a DAG:

• Remove the DAG file from the DAGs folder.
• Run airflow dags delete <dag_id> --yes to clear metadata.
• Restart Airflow scheduler and webserver if needed.
• Verify deletion by checking the Airflow UI and database.

Key Takeaways

Always remove the DAG file from the DAGs folder to stop Airflow from detecting it.

Use the command 'airflow dags delete --yes' to clear DAG metadata from the database.

Restart Airflow services to refresh the UI and scheduler after deletion.

Verify the DAG is fully deleted by checking the Airflow UI and database.

Deleting only the file or only metadata is not enough; both steps are required.