Cleanup and retention

Recently deleted. Deleting a site takes it offline and keeps it whole (files, saved data, versions, its name) for DELETED_RETENTION_DAYS; the owner can restore it until then.

Idle-site cleanup is off by default. With IDLE_CLEANUP=on, a site with no visits, deploys or saves for IDLE_AFTER_DAYS gets its owner a warning email with a Keep link; if nothing happens for IDLE_GRACE_DAYS more, it moves to Recently deleted and the owner gets a Restore email. Sites on their own domain or a claimed name, sites marked Keep, and the admin’s are never touched.

Analytics and API metrics are kept for their retention windows and then removed.

The date a person was promised is stored when it is promised: shortening a window never removes anything earlier than its email said, and lengthening one does not extend what was already promised.

Setting	Default	Allowed	What it does
IDLE_EXEMPT_FAMILY_SITES	on	on / off	on: a site whose main address is an address family is never removed as idle, like one with its own domain.
DELETED_RETENTION_DAYS	7	1–365 days	How long a deleted site stays restorable in Recently deleted.
IDLE_AFTER_DAYS	90	7–3650 days	Idle cleanup: a site unused this long gets its owner a warning email.
IDLE_GRACE_DAYS	30	1–365 days	Idle cleanup: how long after the warning an unused site moves to Recently deleted.
ANALYTICS_RETENTION_DAYS	400	1–3650 days	How long visit analytics are kept.
API_METRICS_RETENTION_DAYS	30	1–3650 days	How long the admin page’s API-call counts and shortened caller addresses are kept.
API_GROWTH_RETENTION_DAYS	400	7–3650 days	How long the admin page’s API growth counts (calls per day by country and by kind, no addresses) are kept. Keep at least 183 for the 6-month view.
IDLE_CLEANUP	off	on / off	on warns owners of long-unused sites, then moves them to Recently deleted.
IDLE_CLEANUP_MAX_EMAILS	50	at least 1 emails	Idle-cleanup emails one run sends.
IDLE_CLEANUP_EXEMPT_HANDLES	none	text	Accounts (comma-separated handles) whose sites the idle cleanup never touches. An account that later changes its handle stays exempt under the old one.

Recipes

Shorter retention.

DELETED_RETENTION_DAYS=3
ANALYTICS_RETENTION_DAYS=90
API_METRICS_RETENTION_DAYS=7

Clean up abandoned sites on a long-running box. (Needs email.)

IDLE_CLEANUP=on
IDLE_AFTER_DAYS=60
IDLE_GRACE_DAYS=14

Idle activity and names

A deleted site’s name stays held until its purge date. Idle activity means visits, deploys or saves. The family-site exemption applies when the site’s main address is under a verified address family of its own account.