diff --git a/src/core.ts b/src/core.ts
index a789adc..8a09bd7 100644
--- a/src/core.ts
+++ b/src/core.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ import { pluralize } from 'inflection';
 import { BaseSchema, ObjectSchema } from 'valibot';
 import { SerializerPair } from './serializers';
 import {
-	handleCreateItem,
+	handleCreateItem, handleDeleteItem,
 	handleGetCollection,
 	handleGetItem,
 	handleGetRoot,
-	handleHasMethodAndUrl
+	handleHasMethodAndUrl,
 } from './handlers';
 
 export interface DataSource<T = object> {
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ export interface Resource {
 	dataSource: DataSource;
 	newId(dataSource: DataSource): string | number | unknown;
 	schema: BaseSchema;
+	throws404OnDeletingNotFound: boolean;
+	checksSerializersOnDelete: boolean;
 }
 
 interface GenerationStrategy {
@@ -50,9 +52,25 @@ export const resource = <T extends BaseSchema>(schema: T) => {
 	let theCollectionName: string;
 	let theRouteName: string;
 	let idGenerationStrategy: GenerationStrategy;
+	let throw404OnDeletingNotFound = true;
+	let checkSerializersOnDelete = false;
 	const fullTextAttrs = new Set<string>();
 
 	return {
+		shouldCheckSerializersOnDelete(b = true) {
+			checkSerializersOnDelete = b;
+			return this;
+		},
+		get checksSerializersOnDelete() {
+			return checkSerializersOnDelete;
+		},
+		shouldThrow404OnDeletingNotFound(b = true) {
+			throw404OnDeletingNotFound = b;
+			return this;
+		},
+		get throws404OnDeletingNotFound() {
+			return throw404OnDeletingNotFound;
+		},
 		id(newIdAttr: string, params: IdParams) {
 			theIdAttr = newIdAttr;
 			idGenerationStrategy = params.generationStrategy;
@@ -172,6 +190,7 @@ export const application = (appParams: ApplicationParams) => {
 					handleGetCollection,
 					handleGetItem,
 					handleCreateItem,
+					handleDeleteItem,
 				]
 					.reduce(
 						async (currentHandlerStatePromise, middleware) => {
diff --git a/src/data-sources/file-jsonl.ts b/src/data-sources/file-jsonl.ts
index 8982d2a..1fa8bd6 100644
--- a/src/data-sources/file-jsonl.ts
+++ b/src/data-sources/file-jsonl.ts
@@ -48,9 +48,13 @@ export class DataSource<T extends Record<string, string>> implements DataSourceI
 	}
 
 	async delete(id: string) {
+		const oldDataLength = this.data.length;
+
 		const newData = this.data.filter((s) => !(s[this.resource.idAttr as string].toString() === id));
 
 		await writeFile(this.path, newData.map((d) => JSON.stringify(d)).join('\n'));
+
+		return oldDataLength !== newData.length;
 	}
 
 	async emplace(id: string, data: Partial<T>) {
diff --git a/src/handlers.ts b/src/handlers.ts
index 08169f0..2d08d9b 100644
--- a/src/handlers.ts
+++ b/src/handlers.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { constants } from 'http2';
 import Negotiator from 'negotiator';
 import { ValiError } from 'valibot';
-import { Middleware } from './core';
+import {Middleware} from './core';
 import { getBody, getMethod, getUrl } from './utils';
 
 export const handleHasMethodAndUrl: Middleware = ({}) => (req, res) => {
@@ -220,6 +220,165 @@ export const handleGetItem: Middleware = ({
 	};
 };
 
+
+export const handleDeleteItem: Middleware = ({
+	appState,
+	serverParams
+}) => async (req, res) => {
+	const method = getMethod(req);
+	if (method !== 'DELETE') {
+		return {
+			handled: false
+		};
+	}
+
+	const baseUrl = serverParams.baseUrl ?? '';
+	const { url } = getUrl(req, baseUrl);
+
+	const [, mainResourceRouteName, mainResourceId = ''] = url.split('/');
+	if (mainResourceId === '') {
+		return {
+			handled: false
+		}
+	}
+
+	const theResource = Array.from(appState.resources).find((r) => r.routeName === mainResourceRouteName);
+	if (typeof theResource === 'undefined') {
+		return {
+			handled: false
+		};
+	}
+
+	if (theResource.checksSerializersOnDelete) {
+		const negotiator = new Negotiator(req);
+		const availableMediaTypes = Array.from(appState.serializers.keys());
+		const theMediaType = negotiator.mediaType(availableMediaTypes);
+		if (typeof theMediaType === 'undefined') {
+			res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NOT_ACCEPTABLE;
+			res.end();
+			return {
+				handled: true
+			};
+		}
+
+		const theSerializerPair = appState.serializers.get(theMediaType);
+		if (typeof theSerializerPair === 'undefined') {
+			res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NOT_ACCEPTABLE;
+			res.end();
+			return {
+				handled: true
+			};
+		}
+	}
+
+	await theResource.dataSource.initialize();
+	try {
+		const response = await theResource.dataSource.delete(mainResourceId);
+		if (typeof response !== 'undefined' && !response && theResource.throws404OnDeletingNotFound) {
+			res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND;
+			res.statusMessage = `${theResource.itemName} Not Found`;
+		} else {
+			res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NO_CONTENT;
+		}
+		res.end();
+		return {
+			handled: true
+		};
+	} catch {
+		// TODO error handling
+		// what if item is already deleted? Should we hide it by returning no content or throw a 404?
+	}
+
+	res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR;
+	res.end();
+	return {
+		handled: true
+	};
+};
+
+// export const handlePatchItem: Middleware = ({
+// 	appState,
+// 	serverParams,
+// }) => async (req, res) => {
+// 	const method = getMethod(req);
+// 	if (method !== 'PATCH') {
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: false
+// 		};
+// 	}
+//
+// 	const baseUrl = serverParams.baseUrl ?? '';
+// 	const { url } = getUrl(req, baseUrl);
+//
+// 	const [, mainResourceRouteName, mainResourceId = ''] = url.split('/');
+// 	if (mainResourceId === '') {
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: false
+// 		}
+// 	}
+//
+// 	const theResource = Array.from(appState.resources).find((r) => r.routeName === mainResourceRouteName);
+// 	if (typeof theResource === 'undefined') {
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: false
+// 		};
+// 	}
+//
+// 	const theDeserializer = appState.serializers.get(req.headers['content-type'] ?? 'application/octet-stream');
+// 	if (typeof theDeserializer === 'undefined') {
+// 		res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA_TYPE;
+// 		res.end();
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: true
+// 		};
+// 	}
+//
+// 	const negotiator = new Negotiator(req);
+// 	const availableMediaTypes = Array.from(appState.serializers.keys());
+// 	const theMediaType = negotiator.mediaType(availableMediaTypes);
+// 	if (typeof theMediaType === 'undefined') {
+// 		res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NOT_ACCEPTABLE;
+// 		res.end();
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: true
+// 		};
+// 	}
+//
+// 	const theSerializerPair = appState.serializers.get(theMediaType);
+// 	if (typeof theSerializerPair === 'undefined') {
+// 		res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_NOT_ACCEPTABLE;
+// 		res.end();
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: true
+// 		};
+// 	}
+//
+// 	await theResource.dataSource.initialize();
+// 	let bodyDeserialized: unknown;
+// 	try {
+// 		bodyDeserialized = await getBody(req, theDeserializer, theResource.schema);
+// 	} catch (errRaw) {
+// 		const err = errRaw as ValiError;
+// 		res.statusCode = constants.HTTP_STATUS_BAD_REQUEST;
+// 		res.statusMessage = `Invalid ${theResource.itemName}`;
+//
+// 		if (Array.isArray(err.issues)) {
+// 			// TODO better error reporting, localizable messages
+// 			const theFormatted = theSerializerPair.serialize(
+// 				err.issues.map((i) => (
+// 					`${i.path?.map((p) => p.key)?.join('.') ?? i.reason}: ${i.message}`
+// 				))
+// 			);
+// 			res.end(theFormatted);
+// 		} else {
+// 			res.end();
+// 		}
+// 		return {
+// 			handled: true
+// 		};
+// 	}
+// };
+
 export const handleCreateItem: Middleware = ({
 	appState,
 	serverParams