Introducing container image and tag deletion for Bitbucket Packages (Open beta)

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A few months ago, we launched Bitbucket Packages in open beta our native container registry for Bitbucket Cloud. It allows teams to push and pull container images directly within Bitbucket, unifying code, CI/CD, and artifact management in one streamlined workflow.

Today, we’re expanding its capabilities with support for deleting container images and tags, along with automated garbage collection running in the background. These improvements give you more control over your container storage as we move toward general availability on December 3, 2025 and transition Bitbucket Packages to a consumption-based billing model.

Why this matters

As we get closer to our official release, managing container storage has never been more important. This release directly addresses one of your top priorities: the ability to clean up and optimize your registry to manage your costs.

With these new features, your team can:

• Remove outdated, experimental, or unused images and tags

• Keep only what’s needed for production

• Free up storage space

Because multiple images often share the same underlying blobs, our automated garbage collection ensures space is reclaimed only when the data is truly no longer needed.

 How deletion works

You can now delete individual tags or entire container images depending on your permissions. For full instructions, refer to our support documentation or our latest blog post, which walks through how to start deleting images and tags.

How garbage collection works

Deleting a tag or image doesn’t always free up storage immediately, since multiple references may point to the same blob. That’s where garbage collection comes in. When you delete an image, remove a tag, or overwrite a tag, Bitbucket automatically:

1. Identifies blob layers no longer referenced by any image or tag in your workspace

2. Safely removes those unreferenced blobs

3. Updates your workspace’s storage usage once cleanup completes

This ensures storage is reclaimed gradually and safely over time.

Get ready for general availability

Beginning December 3, 2025, Bitbucket Packages will transition to a consumption-based billing model that includes both storage and network traffic.

Plan	Included Monthly Storage	Included Monthly Network Traffic
Standard	1 GB	5 GB
Premium	2 GB	7 GB

Overage charges (beyond included limits):

• Storage overage: $0.35 USD per GB per month for storage exceeding your plan’s allowance.

• Network traffic overage: $0.70 USD per GB for traffic beyond the included limits.

These changes will apply starting with your first billing cycle after December 3, 2025. To avoid unexpected costs, review your container images now and delete any images or tags you no longer need. Proactive cleanup helps manage storage efficiently and reduce future charges.

 Feedback

Bitbucket Packages is evolving and your input shapes its future. Try out the new deletion features and let us know how they work for you. Have questions or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below!