Freezer Backup Retention Policy

Overview

The swift_retention_policy.py script helps you automatically set object expiration and clean up empty Swift containers after all objects have expired and been deleted.

Note

This script has only been tested with Freezer backup containers created in Swift, but it should work with any Swift containers and objects.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Python Swift client installed
OpenStack credentials sourced
Access to Swift storage verified

# Install Python Swift client
pip install python-swiftclient

# Source OpenStack credentials of your Flex cluster
source ~/openrc

# Verify access
swift list

Make the script executable:

chmod +x swift_retention_policy.py

Features

The script provides a complete workflow for container cleanup:

Set X-Delete-At on all objects in containers
Monitor containers until empty
Automatically delete empty containers
Single command for complete cleanup
Progress tracking and timeout protection

Usage

Basic Examples

Quick Cleanup (5 min)Multiple ContainersExpiration Only (No Cleanup)Custom Check IntervalDry Run

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -m 5 --cleanup

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-daily -c freezer-weekly -H 1 --cleanup

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -d 7

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -m 5 --cleanup --check-interval 30

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -m 5 --cleanup --dry-run

Command Options

Time Options

Flag	Description
`-s`, `--seconds N`	Delete after N seconds
`-m`, `--minutes N`	Delete after N minutes
`-H`, `--hours N`	Delete after N hours
`-d`, `--days N`	Delete after N days
`-M`, `--months N`	Delete after N months
`-t`, `--delete-at UNIX`	Delete at specific Unix timestamp

Cleanup Options

Flag	Description
`--cleanup`	Monitor and delete containers when empty
`--check-interval SECONDS`	Seconds between checks (default: 60)
`--max-wait SECONDS`	Maximum time to wait (default: 3600)

Other Options

Flag	Description
`--dry-run`	Show what would be done without making changes
`-v`, `--verbose`	Verbose output

Workflow Example

Set expiration to 5 minutes and automatically delete the container when empty:

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -m 5 --cleanup --check-interval 30

Example Output

======================================================================
Swift Container Complete Cleanup Workflow
======================================================================

Containers: freezer-bkp-lvm
Retention period: 5 minute(s)
Deletion time: 2026-02-05 15:35:00 (Unix: 1770315300)
Auto-cleanup: Enabled
Check interval: 30 seconds
Max wait time: 3600 seconds

Connecting to Swift...
OK Connected

======================================================================
PHASE 1: Setting Expiration on Objects
======================================================================

======================================================================
Setting expiration on container: freezer-bkp-lvm
======================================================================
Found 16 objects

OK Expiration set on 16 objects

======================================================================
Phase 1 Summary
======================================================================
Total objects processed: 16
Successfully set expiration: 16
======================================================================

======================================================================
PHASE 2: Monitoring and Cleanup
======================================================================

Waiting for objects to expire and be deleted...

[15:30:15] Check #1 (elapsed: 0s)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WAITING freezer-bkp-lvm: 16 objects remaining

...

[15:36:15] Check #13 (elapsed: 360s)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
OK freezer-bkp-lvm: Empty - deleting...
  OK Container deleted successfully

======================================================================
Phase 2 Summary
======================================================================
Containers deleted: 1
  OK freezer-bkp-lvm
======================================================================

OK Workflow complete

Container Status Types

Status	Description	Can Delete?
`empty`	Container has no objects	Yes
`not_found`	Container doesn't exist	N/A
`has_permanent_objects`	Has objects without `X-Delete-At`	No
`waiting_for_expiration`	Objects not yet expired	No
`waiting_for_expirer`	Objects expired but not deleted yet	No

Best Practices

Test with Short Expiration First

Tip

Always validate with a short expiration before applying to production containers.

./swift_retention_policy.py -c test-container -m 1 --cleanup --check-interval 15

Use Dry Run

Tip

Preview changes before executing them.

./swift_retention_policy.py -c freezer-bkp-lvm -m 5 --cleanup --dry-run

Set Reasonable Check Intervals

Expiration Duration	Recommended Check Interval
< 10 minutes	30-60 seconds
1-24 hours	5-15 minutes
> 1 day	30-60 minutes

Short ExpirationLong Expiration

./swift_retention_policy.py -c container -m 5 --cleanup --check-interval 30

./swift_retention_policy.py -c container -d 1 --cleanup --check-interval 1800

Set Max Wait Time

Warning

Prevent scripts from running indefinitely by setting a max wait time.

./swift_retention_policy.py -c container -m 5 --cleanup --max-wait 3600

Troubleshooting

Container Not Being Deleted

Problem: Container shows as empty but won't delete.

Solutions:

Check for hidden objects:
```
swift list freezer-bkp-lvm --prefix ""
```
Manual deletion:
```
swift delete freezer-bkp-lvm
```

Objects Not Expiring

Problem: Objects have X-Delete-At set but aren't being deleted.

Solution: Verify the swift-object-expirer daemon is running and healthy on the Swift cluster.

Script Times Out

Problem: Script reaches max-wait before the container is empty.

Solution: Increase the max wait time:

./swift_retention_policy.py -c container -m 5 --cleanup --max-wait 7200