Versions and going back
Every time you press Publish in Spatibase, the live content is saved as a numbered version. If a publish goes wrong, you can go back to an earlier version and the API serves it again. This page explains what a version is, how to look at one, how to go back, and how long versions are kept.
What is a version?
A version is the state of everything that is live after one publish: the published entries and the groups. Versions are numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on, and the highest number is Live now. A version is never changed afterwards. Going back does not delete anything: it creates a new version that looks like the old one.
A project that had live entries before versions existed starts with a first version made from them, so it can be restored from day one. Draft content is not part of a version, and neither is the content model.
Where do I find the versions?
Select Versions in the project’s side panel (below the entries, media and trash sections). The page lists every kept version, newest first, with its number, who published it (a person or an AI assistant) and when, and what it changed, such as “3 new, 2 changed, 1 removed”. A version made by going back says which version it went back to.
Select a version to open its details: the entries that were added, changed or removed, which fields of each changed entry differ (long or private values are left out, as in the Activity page), and the group changes. The same information is in an entry’s history in the entry editor, where each publish of that entry has a Restore this version button.
How do I go back to a version?
- Open Versions and select the version you want.
- Select Go back to this version.
- Read the dialog. It lists what will change back (entries that come back, change back or leave the API), What stays as it is, and anything that can’t come back.
- Confirm with Go back to this version.
Going back is live at once, and it creates a new version, so you can undo it by going back again. Nothing changes until you confirm: the dialog is a preview of exactly what will happen.
What happens to your drafts:
- A draft that had no edits beyond the live copy moves with it, so the next publish cannot ship the mistake again.
- A draft with newer edits is kept. It shows Unpublished changes, and its ready mark is removed.
- Entries that are waiting to be unpublished or removed, and entries marked ready, are left alone unless going back touches them. Going back does not publish them.
Some things can’t come back, and the dialog says so before you confirm: an entry deleted for good from the trash, an entry that the trash refuses to restore (its type is gone, or another entry now holds its ID), and files that no longer exist. Those are left out and the rest goes back.
Can I bring back just one entry?
Yes. In the entry’s history, select Restore this version on the publish you want. That version of the entry replaces the draft. It is not marked ready: nothing changes on the API until you mark it Ready to publish and publish. A restore is refused when the entry was not live in that version, or when another entry holds its ID by now.
How long are versions kept?
Every version of the last 90 days is kept, and always at least the last 20 per project. Older ones disappear from the Versions page. Deleting an entry for good from the trash also removes its past states from the versions, so the entry’s content is not kept anywhere. Deleting the project deletes its versions.
What do developers get?
The Management API has routes to list versions, read one with its changes, and go back (with a dry run). Webhook messages for a publish or for going back carry the version number, and AI assistants have tools to list versions and go back; see What assistants can do. The Content Delivery API serves only the live content and never shows past versions.
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