Thanos bucket: failed to delete block

A block could not be deleted from the object storage, often due to insufficient permissions.

Understanding Thanos and Its Purpose

Thanos is an open-source project that provides highly available Prometheus setups with long-term storage capabilities. It is designed to be a scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solution for monitoring and alerting. Thanos aggregates data from multiple Prometheus instances and stores it in an object storage, allowing for efficient querying and retention.

Identifying the Symptom: 'bucket: failed to delete block'

When using Thanos, you might encounter the error message bucket: failed to delete block. This symptom indicates that Thanos attempted to delete a block from the object storage but was unsuccessful. This can disrupt the normal operation of Thanos, especially in environments where storage management is crucial.

Exploring the Issue: Insufficient Permissions

The error bucket: failed to delete block typically arises due to insufficient permissions on the object storage. Thanos requires the ability to manage blocks, including deleting them when necessary. If the permissions are not correctly configured, Thanos will be unable to perform these operations, leading to the error.

Common Causes

  • Incorrect IAM policies or roles assigned to Thanos.
  • Misconfigured bucket policies that prevent deletions.
  • Network issues or connectivity problems with the object storage.

Steps to Fix the Issue

To resolve the bucket: failed to delete block error, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify Access Permissions

Ensure that the IAM roles or policies assigned to Thanos have the necessary permissions to delete objects from the storage bucket. For example, if you are using AWS S3, the policy should include the s3:DeleteObject permission.

{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "s3:DeleteObject",
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::your-bucket-name/*"
}
]
}

Step 2: Check Bucket Policies

Review the bucket policies to ensure they do not explicitly deny delete operations. Adjust the policies if necessary to allow deletions by the Thanos service account.

Step 3: Test Connectivity

Ensure that Thanos can connect to the object storage without issues. You can test connectivity using tools like curl or aws s3 ls to list the contents of the bucket.

Additional Resources

For more information on configuring Thanos with object storage, refer to the Thanos Storage Documentation. If you are using AWS, the AWS IAM Policies Guide can help you configure the necessary permissions.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the bucket: failed to delete block error and ensure that Thanos operates smoothly with your object storage.

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