# DeleteItem
<a name="dynamodb-deleteitem"></a>

**Note**  
We recommend using the DynamoDB built-in module to generate your request. For more information, see [Amazon DynamoDB built-in module](built-in-modules.md#DDB-built-in-module).

The `DeleteItem` request enables you to delete an item in a DynamoDB table. The request specifies the following:
+ The key of the item in DynamoDB
+ Conditions for the operation to succeed

The `DeleteItem` request has the following structure:

```
type DynamoDBDeleteItemRequest = {
  operation: 'DeleteItem';
  key: { [key: string]: any };
  condition?: ConditionCheckExpression;
  customPartitionKey?: string;
  populateIndexFields?: boolean;
  _version?: number;
};
```

The TypeScript definition above shows all available fields for the request. While you can construct this request manually, we recommend using the DynamoDB built-in module for generating accurate and efficient requests.

## DeleteItem fields
<a name="js-deleteitem-list"></a>

** `operation` **  
The DynamoDB operation to perform. To perform the `DeleteItem` DynamoDB operation, this must be set to `DeleteItem`. This value is required.

** `key` **  
The key of the item in DynamoDB. DynamoDB items may have a single hash key, or a hash key and sort key, depending on the table structure. For more information about specifying a “typed value”, see [Type system (request mapping)](dynamodb-typed-values-request.md). This value is required.

** `condition` **  
A condition to determine if the request should succeed or not, based on the state of the object already in DynamoDB. If no condition is specified, the `DeleteItem` request deletes an item regardless of its current state. For more information about conditions, see [Condition expressions](dynamodb-condition-expressions.md). This value is optional.

** `_version` **  
A numeric value that represents the latest known version of an item. This value is optional. This field is used for *Conflict Detection* and is only supported on versioned data sources.  
*Not supported in AWS AppSync Events*

**`customPartitionKey`**  
When enabled, this string value modifies the format of the `ds_sk` and `ds_pk` records used by the delta sync table when versioning has been enabled (for more information, see [Conflict detection and sync](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/appsync/latest/devguide/conflict-detection-and-sync.html) in the *AWS AppSync Developer Guide*). When enabled, the processing of the `populateIndexFields` entry is also enabled. This field is optional.  
*Not supported in AWS AppSync Events*

**`populateIndexFields`**  
A boolean value that, when enabled **along with the `customPartitionKey`**, creates new entries for each record in the delta sync table, specifically in the `gsi_ds_pk` and `gsi_ds_sk` columns. For more information, see [Conflict detection and sync](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/appsync/latest/devguide/conflict-detection-and-sync.html) in the *AWS AppSync Developer Guide*. This field is optional.   
*Not supported in AWS AppSync Events*

For more information about the DynamoDB `DeleteItem` API, see the [DynamoDB API documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/APIReference/API_DeleteItem.html).