> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.fortanix.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Destroy private half of an asymmetric key.

> Removes the private portion of an asymmetric key. After this
operation is performed, operations that require the private key, such
as encryption and generating signatures, can no longer be performed.

## OpenAPI

````json DELETE /crypto/v1/keys/{key_id}/private
{
  "openapi": "3.0.0",
  "info": {
    "title": "Fortanix DSM REST API",
    "description": "This is a set of REST APIs for accessing the Fortanix Data Security Manager. This includes APIs for managing accounts, and for performing cryptographic and key management operations. \n\n **Note:** \n- All binary input should be base64-encoded. These fields are marked with `format: byte`. \n- For forward compatibility, any API client is expected to ignore any fields in the response not explicitly mentioned in the documentation. We reserve the right to add new fields at any time to provide new functionality without affecting existing API clients.",
    "termsOfService": "https://www.fortanix.com/legal/terms/",
    "contact": {
      "name": "Fortanix Support",
      "url": "https://support.fortanix.com/",
      "email": "support@fortanix.com"
    },
    "license": {
      "name": "Apache 2.0",
      "url": "http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html"
    },
    "version": "0.1.0-20260526"
  },
  "servers": [
    {
      "url": "https://amer.smartkey.io"
    }
  ],
  "paths": {
    "/crypto/v1/keys/{key_id}/private": {
      "delete": {
        "operationId": "RemovePrivate",
        "tags": [
          "Keys"
        ],
        "security": [
          {
            "bearerToken": []
          },
          {
            "apiKeyAuth": []
          }
        ],
        "summary": "Destroy private half of an asymmetric key.",
        "description": "Removes the private portion of an asymmetric key. After this\noperation is performed, operations that require the private key, such\nas encryption and generating signatures, can no longer be performed.",
        "parameters": [
          {
            "name": "key_id",
            "in": "path",
            "required": true,
            "schema": {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "uuid"
            }
          }
        ],
        "responses": {
          "204": {
            "description": "Nothing is returned on success"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
````