How do you soft-delete Postgres rows without partial indexes?

Rename the slug on archive with a timestamp suffix. Keeps UNIQUE constraint intact, frees namespace instantly.

Does renaming slugs break analytics or historical data?

Nope — query by ID or status. Original content intact. Just add original_slug column for pretty logs if needed.

What if I need archived URLs to still work?

Use partial unique indexes instead. This hack assumes 'archived' means 'URL dies, reuse title later.'

Six Lines of Code to Soft-Delete Postgres Rows and Reclaim That Precious URL Slug

Imagine archiving a blog post, only for the next one with the same title to bomb on insert. One dev's dead-simple fix: rename the slug on archive. No partial indexes, no drama.

theAIcatchup Apr 10, 2026 4 min read

Postgres table schema showing slug renaming for soft-deleted blog posts

⚡ Key Takeaways

Rename slugs on archive with timestamps to dodge unique constraint fights — six lines, zero schema changes. 𝕏
Ditch partial indexes and deleted_at predicates for most blogs; they're overkill maintenance traps. 𝕏
Perfect for indie tools like Drippery, where reuse trumps permanence. 𝕏

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#Drizzle ORM #Postgres #soft delete #url-slug

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