Revisions Tables in the WordPress Database
Revisions are one of my very favorite WordPress features.
When you write in WordPress, your changes will be automatically saved as “Revisions”. You can use them easily restore any previous version of your content. And if you want to compare your current version of a post to an old version, WordPress gives you an easy side-by-side comparison. In short, Revisions give you a detailed history of all the changes to your content.
Over the last few years, our team has written several tutorials that help you find key information in the WordPress database. Here are some of those guides:
In this guide, we're going to look at where Revisions are stored in the WordPress database. If you're not familiar with the basics of how revisions work, check out this detailed revisions overview.
Table of Contents
How Revisions Are Stored
WordPress revisions are all stored in wp_posts table. This means that you will find revisions stored in exactly the same way here as published posts. Here are some of the differences between a row for posts and a row for revisions:
- The post_status column
- The post_name column
- The post_type column
The image below shows the post_status column. Revisions use the Inherit status. Autosaves are similar to revisions and use the Auto Draft status.
The image above also shows the post_name column. The post_name column is normally the title of the post. However, for revisions, the format is different:
- [post ID of original post]_revision_v1
In the image above, the ID of the original post is 1.
The image below shows the post_type column. Normally this shows the post type (post, page or a custom post type). For revisions, the column is set to revision. Finally, it's worth noting the post_parent column which connects the revision back to the original post.
View Revisions
One of the most popular plugins here at PublishPress is called PublishPress Revisions. This plugin is built on top of this Revisions feature and it offers an easy, visual way to see all the revisions stored on your site.
This is one place to find all the revisions for content on your site.
Normally it's really difficult to view revisions in WordPress. The only way to access them is via a small link inside each individual post. “Revision Archive” solves this problem by displaying all the past revisions on one screen and allowing you search, filter, and manage them.
In the screenshot below, you can see the “Revision Archive” feature. The most recently created revision in on the top of this list.
On the “Revision Archive”, you'll be able to see information about each revision including this data:
- Revision: The title of the post.
- Count: How many revisions this post has.
- Post Type: The post type for the post that has the revision.
- Revised: Who created the revision.
- Revision Date: When the revision was created.
- Method: Was this a normal revision, or did it use the PublishPress Revisions feature that allows you to approve or schedule revisions.
- Published Date: The publication date shown on the post.
- Published Authors: The author shown on the post.
The Best Plugin to Approve and Schedule Changes to Your WordPress Posts
PublishPress Revisions is the ultimate tool for making content changes in WordPress. This plugin offers a safe space for users to work on content updates.
