Decommissioning
When an IoT Gateway reaches the end of its deployment or needs to be removed from active rotation, a privileged user can take it out of service through Bifrost.
Bifrost separates decommissioning a device from deleting its record so that routine field retirements do not erase the device's history by default:
Decommissioning a device
Decommissioning takes a device out of active service by updating its status with PATCH /v1/devices/{imei} so it is no longer treated as an active unit in the field.
When a device is decommissioned, Bifrost automatically revokes its unique device certificate on the server side. This ensures that the retired certificate cannot be reused by another device or by a malicious actor to impersonate the unit or publish unauthorized data.
Deleting a device record
Permanently deleting a device removes its record from Bifrost altogether by calling DELETE /v1/devices/{imei}. Deletion is reserved for cases where a record should not exist at all, such as cleaning up a device registered with the wrong IMEI during manufacturing.
See the Operations matrix for the permission levels required to decommission or delete a device.