Strapi v5 - Soft Delete Plugin

A powerful Strapi v5 plugin that adds soft delete functionality to your content types, allowing you to "delete" entries without permanently removing them from the database.

✨ Features

• 🛢 Database Integration

  • Adds _softDeletedAt, _softDeletedById and _softDeletedByType fields to all collection content types
  • Fields are private and not visible in the Content Manager or through the API

• 🗂️ Content Manager & API

  • Delete operations behave as soft deletes
  • Sets _softDeletedAt to current datetime, _softDeletedById to user ID, and _softDeletedByType to deletion initiator type
  • Soft deleted entries are automatically excluded from queries

• 👤 RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

  • Renames "Delete" permission to "Soft Delete"
  • Adds "Deleted Read" permission for viewing soft deleted entries
  • Adds "Deleted Restore" permission for restoring entries
  • Adds "Delete Permanently" permission for permanent deletion
  • Plugin-level "Read" and "Settings" permissions

• 🗂️ Soft Delete Explorer

  • Admin panel interface for viewing soft deleted entries
  • Restore entries with one click
  • Permanently delete entries when needed
  • Organized by content type

• ⚙️ Settings

  • Restoration Behavior configuration
  • Single Type restoration options (soft delete vs permanent delete existing entries)
  • Draft & Publish restoration options (restore as draft vs unchanged state)

📦 Installation

Install the plugin via npm:

npm install strapi-plugin-soft-delete

Add the plugin to your Strapi configuration in config/plugins.js or config/plugins.ts:

module.exports = {
  // ...other plugins
  'soft-delete': {
    enabled: true,
  },
};

🚀 Usage

1. Install and configure the plugin as described above
2. Restart your Strapi server to apply the database changes
3. Access the Soft Delete Explorer from the admin panel sidebar
4. Configure permissions for your admin roles in Settings > Administration Panel > Roles
5. Set restoration behavior in Settings > Soft Delete > Restoration Behavior

⚠️ Important Notes

• Backup your database before installing in production
• The plugin modifies your database schema by adding soft delete fields
• Once enabled, all delete operations become soft deletes for supported content types
• Use "Delete Permanently" feature with caution as it cannot be undone
• Plugin is still a work-in-progress state. Tested locally on draft-publish environments
• Originally a fork of strapi v4 plugin, but rewritten from scratch in the end

📋 Requirements

• Node.js >= 18.x
• Strapi >= 5.0.0