Re: [OpenXPKI-users] Cleaning obsolete database entries

[Martin B. <vc...@cy...>]

Hi,

> On Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 3:30 PM Alaa Hilal <ala...@gm...> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have been using OpenXPKI for a while and in general all going well. The size of the database has grown large. Specifically the tables:
> - workflow_context
> - workflow_history
> - certificate
> - application_log
> 
> Obviously as we use the system more, the size will grow, however, I wanted to check if there are any functions or commands that we can use to make some cleanups on old data that is not needed anymore.


In our opinion the PKI should be able to provide information on issued certificates, so from my point of view deleting certificates is a no-go. 
The OpenXPKI design philosophy was to establish accountability on the PKI operations, which also means that workflow instances, history and context do provide useful information on the request and decision process on certificate issuance.

However, it is of course possible to clean up the database if so desired. For high volume installations we have implemented a cleanup mechanism which can be set up to regularly truncate/archive workflows (but not certificates) from the database. However, this solution is only available in the Enterprise Edition, so I am afraid you will have to roll your own cleanup procedure.

Cheers

Martin