[role="xpack"]
[[security-api-delete-role]]
=== Delete roles API
++++
<titleabbrev>Delete roles</titleabbrev>
++++

Removes roles in the native realm.

[[security-api-delete-role-request]]
==== {api-request-title}

`DELETE /_security/role/<name>` 


[[security-api-delete-role-prereqs]]
==== {api-prereq-title}

* To use this API, you must have at least the `manage_security` cluster privilege.


[[security-api-delete-role-desc]]
==== {api-description-title}

The role management APIs are generally the preferred way to manage roles, rather than using
<<roles-management-file,file-based role management>>. The delete roles API cannot remove roles that are defined in roles files.

[[security-api-delete-role-path-params]]
==== {api-path-parms-title}

`name`::
  (string) The name of the role. 

[[security-api-delete-role-example]]
==== {api-examples-title}

The following example deletes a `my_admin_role` role:

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
DELETE /_security/role/my_admin_role
--------------------------------------------------
// TEST[setup:admin_role]

If the role is successfully deleted, the request returns `{"found": true}`.
Otherwise, `found` is set to false.

[source,console-result]
--------------------------------------------------
{
  "found" : true
}
--------------------------------------------------