Revisionslogs

Revisionslogs, also written as revisions logs, is a systematic record of changes made to a digital resource. It captures a sequence of revisions, with metadata for each change. The concept is widely used in content management systems, wikis, databases, and software repositories to support traceability and accountability.

A typical revisions log includes a revision identifier, a timestamp, the author or editor, and a summary of edits. Some entries include the exact changes (diff) or a full snapshot of the resource. Revisions are linked in a chain by a pointer to the previous revision, enabling traversal.

Purpose and use: auditing edits, enabling rollback to previous states, comparing versions, attributing changes, and resolving disputes. In collaborative environments, revision logs encourage accountability and transparency.

Storage and access: stored in a database or file-based storage; indexed for quick lookup by resource identifier and revision id. Access control governs who can view, edit, or revert revisions. Retention policies determine how long revisions are kept and when they are purged.

Limitations: revision logs can grow rapidly, consuming storage and affecting performance. Privacy considerations may arise when revisions expose user data. Integrity measures, such as cryptographic hashes or digital signatures, help prevent tampering.

Examples: Content management systems like MediaWiki maintain per-page revision histories, while version-control systems like Git record commits as a global revision history. The two models differ in granularity and storage strategy.