why is the staging s3 bucket still consuming plenty of storage even when purge staging data flag is set to true in the redshift destination?

The Redshift destination should delete S3 staging files when Purge Staging Data is enabled. The docs say that, after the

COPY

completes, the CSV files under

bucketPath/namespace/streamName/...

are normally removed unless

purge_staging_data

is set to false. [[Redshift dest](https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/redshift)] However, the knowledge sources also show several edge cases where S3 staging data is not fully cleaned up or behaves unexpectedly: 1. Older connector bugs around cleanup and bucket paths - There were fixes specifically for S3 staging cleanup and use of the configured bucket path: -

0.3.45

“Use the configured bucket path for S3 staging operations.” -

0.3.46

“Correctly cleanup S3 bucket when using a configured bucket path for S3 staging operations.” [[Redshift changelog](https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/redshift#changelog)] If you’re on a Redshift version older than these, some staged files may not be deleted correctly. 2. Multiple connections sharing the same S3 path When two connections point to the same S3 bucket/path, one connection’s cleanup can interfere with another long‑running sync, causing re‑uploads and extra files. [[S3 key error](https://discuss.airbyte.io/t/1489)] Even with purge enabled, this pattern can result in unexpected files and higher storage usage because files get recreated. 3. Filename pattern / multiple files per stream Redshift’s S3 staging can buffer and upload multiple files per stream (e.g., due to buffering strategies and periodic flush). [[Redshift changelog](https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/redshift#changelog)] If your S3 filename pattern is something like

{date}

, you may get multiple files with the same name rewritten and multiple entries in a manifest, which has already caused duplication issues in at least one report. [[Redshift dup files](https://discuss.airbyte.io/t/3313)] While purge should still delete them, misconfiguration plus retries can temporarily increase object count and storage. 4. General workspace / history growth is separate from S3 Even if S3 staging is cleared, the Airbyte instance can consume a lot of disk via job history and workspace data. Retention is controlled via

TEMPORAL_HISTORY_RETENTION_IN_DAYS

from 0.45.5 onwards; this does not govern S3, but it may be why you still observe “plenty of storage” being used overall. [[Storage out of space](https://discuss.airbyte.io/t/2417)] Because the sources do not provide a single explicit reason “purge_staging_data=true but S3 is still large”, the most likely explanations, based on what is documented, are: - You’re on an older Redshift connector version that predates the S3 cleanup fixes. - Multiple connections share the same S3 bucket/path, causing re‑uploads and unexpected files. - Filename pattern and buffering lead to more (or retried) files than expected. What to check next 1. Confirm your Redshift connector version is at least

0.3.46

or newer. [[Redshift changelog](https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/redshift#changelog)] 2. Ensure each connection uses a distinct S3 bucket path (or at least distinct prefixes) for staging. [[S3 key error](https://discuss.airbyte.io/t/1489)] 3. Use a unique filename pattern like

{timestamp}

instead of

{date}

to avoid collisions and odd behavior. [[Redshift dest](https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/redshift); [Redshift dup files](https://discuss.airbyte.io/t/3313)] 4. Manually inspect the S3 prefixes shown in logs (e.g.

bucketPath/namespace/streamName/…

) to verify whether objects under those prefixes are being deleted post‑sync. If after these checks the staging files are still accumulating, the knowledge sources don’t describe a more specific cause; in that case, capturing a failing sync’s logs and your exact Redshift connector version would be the necessary next step for a bug report.