Remove users

Remove users who no longer need access to the workspace.

Required permissions#

Removing users requires staff or superuser privileges.

Deletion types#

Alpacon provides two types of user deletion. The server-account deletion described below applies to Linux accounts Alpacon created for the user. Accounts discovered on servers remain on disk and are unlinked from the removed user.

Normal deletion#

Normal user deletion removes the user’s account while preserving their home directory on servers.

What happens:

• User account deleted from workspace
• Home directory on servers moved to /home/deleted_users/
• Directory ownership transferred to root user
• Directory permissions set to 0700

Use when:

• Need to preserve user data for audit or recovery
• Want option to restore files later
• Compliance requires data retention

Purge deletion#

Purge deletion completely removes the user and all associated data from servers. To use this option, check the Delete home directory checkbox in the deletion modal.

What happens:

• User account deleted from workspace
• Home directory on servers permanently deleted
• All user files removed

⚠️ Warning: Cannot be recovered. Use with extreme caution.

Use when:

• User data no longer needed
• Compliance requires complete data removal
• Freeing up disk space

How to remove#

From user detail page#

1. Go to IAM > Users
2. Click the user to remove
3. Click bin icon in top right
4. Select deletion type: Delete home directory checkbox
   • Unchecked: Normal deletion (preserve home directory)
   • Checked: Purge deletion (complete deletion)
5. Click Continue in confirmation modal
6. View result in toast message

Pre-removal checklist#

Data impact#

User removal permanently deletes:

• User profile information
• Group memberships
• Permission settings
• Activity history

Caution: Cannot be recovered after deletion

Server access#

• User automatically removed from accessible servers
• Linux accounts Alpacon created for the user are deleted; the selected deletion type determines what happens to their home directories
• Accounts discovered on servers are kept and unlinked from the removed user

Owned resources#

Check resources owned by user:

• If server owner
• If group admin
• If webhook owner

Transfer ownership to another user if needed.

Work sessions#

Removing a user also affects their access:

• Approved and active work sessions assigned to the user are revoked. Their web terminals, file transfers, port forwarding, and editors close; undelivered commands and pending extensions are cancelled, and session-bound sudo permissions end.
• The user’s other open web terminals and file-transfer sessions close.
• The user’s personal API tokens are deleted.
• Pending session requests remain pending. Administrators should arrange for an approver to reject them or a Superuser to cancel them.

See Session lifecycle for statuses and who can end a session.

Leave a workspace#

To leave a workspace, ask a workspace administrator to remove your account. You cannot leave a workspace on your own.

Removing Superusers#

Considerations when removing Superusers:

Maintain minimum 1 Superuser:

• Workspace always needs at least 1 Superuser
• Cannot remove last Superuser
• Promote another user to Superuser first

After removal#

After user removal:

• User excluded from workspace list
• No email notification sent
• Can be re-invited with same email

Deactivate vs Remove#

Recommended: Use deactivation for temporary access restriction

Troubleshooting#

Remove button disabled:

• Verify Staff or Superuser permissions
• Check if last Superuser

“Cannot delete last superuser” error:

• Promote another user to Superuser first
• Then proceed with removal

Audit log#

User removal is logged in audit logs:

• Admin who removed
• Removal time
• Removed user information

Related docs#

• Add users
• Manage users
• Manage groups