Is it possible to "scratch" a couchdb document? By that I mean to delete a document, and make sure that the document and its history is completely removed from the database.
I do not want to perform a database compaction, I just want to fully wipe out a single document. And I am looking for a solution that guarantees that there is no trace of the document in the database, without needing to wait for internal database processes to eventually remove the document.
(a python solution is appreciated)
When you delete a document in CouchDB, generally only the _id, _rev, and a deleted flag are preserved. These are preserved to allow for eventual consistency through replication. Forcing an immediate delete across an entire group of nodes isn't really consistent with the architecture.
The closest thing would be to use purge; once you do that, all traces of the doc will be gone after the next compaction. I realize this isn't exactly what you're asking for, but it's the closest thing off the top of my head.
Here's a nice article explaining the basis behind the various delete methods available.