If you use Contentful to wrangle content, you know things can get messy fast. Editors make changes, stuff goes wrong, and suddenly no one knows who did what, when, or why. You want a system that tells you exactly what changed—without spending hours poking through cryptic logs or chasing people on Slack. If you’re tired of feeling blind when content goes sideways, this guide is for you.
Below, you’ll get real-world steps to actually track content changes and revisions in Contentful. No fluff, no hand-waving. Just what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the usual pitfalls.
1. Get to Know Contentful’s Built-In Version History
Before you even think about extra tools, get familiar with what Contentful already offers. Out of the box, every entry in Contentful has basic versioning. Here’s what you get (and what you don’t):
- You can see every version of an entry. Open any entry, click “Versions & status” in the sidebar, and you’ll see a list of changes.
- You can compare versions. Hit “Compare” to see a field-by-field diff between two versions. It’s not pretty, but it works.
- You can restore older versions. If someone screws up, you can roll back to a prior version with a click.
What doesn’t work well: - You don’t get a full audit log across the whole space. You’re stuck looking entry-by-entry. - The UI is clunky for big diffs or lots of changes. - There’s no built-in way to see why a change was made (unless your editors are saints and always leave comments).
Pro tip: If you’re dealing with a small team and a few content types, this is probably enough. Don’t overcomplicate things.
2. Make Version History Actually Useful: Set Some Team Rules
Even the best versioning means nothing if your team isn’t on the same page. Here’s how to avoid chaos:
- Enforce “save with a note.” Contentful lets you leave a comment when saving a new version. Make it a rule: no save without a note. Seriously. It takes 5 seconds and saves hours of detective work later.
- Agree on naming conventions. If you’re fixing a typo, say “typo fix.” If you’re updating info, say what changed. “Updated” means nothing.
- Limit who can publish. Publishing pushes changes live. Keep this power to a short list of trusted folks, and make sure it’s clear who’s responsible.
What to skip: Don’t waste time on elaborate workflow diagrams unless you have a huge team. Simple rules, written down in your docs or pinned in Slack, work for most people.
3. Use Contentful’s Activity Log (But Know Its Limits)
Contentful provides an Activity Log in the web app (bottom left corner: “Activity”). Here’s what it does:
- Shows recent actions across the space: entries created, changed, published, deleted, etc.
- You can filter by action or user.
The catch: - The log is shallow—it doesn’t go back forever. - Details are thin: you see “Entry XYZ updated by Alice,” but not what changed. - No export. You can’t easily back this up or analyze it elsewhere.
When it’s useful: For quick spot-checks (“Who deleted our homepage?”), it’s handy. For long-term audits or compliance, it’s not enough.
4. Automate with Webhooks (If You Need a Paper Trail)
If you need a more robust audit trail—maybe for compliance, or just because “Bob said he didn’t change that”—you’ll need to get a bit technical. Contentful offers webhooks, which let you send a payload of every change to another service as it happens.
How to set it up: 1. Go to Settings > Webhooks in Contentful. 2. Create a new webhook that listens for the events you care about (entry publish, unpublish, delete, etc.). 3. Point it at a service that can catch and store the data. Options: - Write a simple serverless function (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Function). - Use Zapier or Make.com if you want something no-code. - Dump to a Slack channel for low-tech “paper trail.” - Save to a Google Sheet, database, or even an email inbox.
What you get: - A detailed record of every change, with timestamps, user info, and full payloads. - The ability to analyze, search, and back up as you see fit.
Downsides: - Setup takes some technical chops. - You’ll need to maintain whatever system catches the webhook data. - Raw webhook payloads are verbose—parsing them isn’t fun.
Honest take: If you’re a small team, this is probably overkill. But if you’re managing lots of critical content or need a real audit log, it’s the only way to get there without paying for expensive add-ons.
5. Third-Party Tools: What’s Worth Your Time?
There’s a cottage industry of Contentful add-ons that promise better change tracking. Some are helpful, but most just repackage what you get for free. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Contentful Apps/Marketplace: Some apps (like “Content Versioning” or “Workflow” tools) promise more advanced history and audit features. Check the ratings and try before you buy. Most are best suited for enterprises with deep pockets.
- Git-based syncing: Some teams try to mirror Contentful content into a Git repo for tracking. This is a lot of moving parts for little gain unless you’re already running a Git-based publishing workflow.
- Visualization tools: Some tools give you dashboards or timelines. Nice for managers, not so useful for day-to-day editors.
What to ignore: Don’t fall for tools that just send you email digests or fancy charts but don’t actually let you see what changed. If you can’t easily search, filter, and restore, it’s not worth your time or money.
6. Bonus: Exporting Content History (What You Can and Can’t Do)
Contentful’s API lets you fetch entries and their history, but there are limits:
- You can get a list of versions for an entry via the API using the
sys.versionproperty and version headers. - You can’t pull a full audit log for your whole space in one shot. You’ll need to script it: loop through all entries, fetch each version, and compare fields yourself.
- No native “diff” endpoint. You’ll have to handle diffing on your end.
If you want an offline backup: - Script a regular export (using Contentful’s CLI or API). - Store snapshots of your content in a repo, S3 bucket, or whatever suits you.
Warning: Don’t rely on these exports for real-time tracking—they’re only as fresh as your last script run.
7. Troubleshooting Common Headaches
Problem: “Someone made changes and now the site’s broken, but no one knows why.” - Use the entry Versions tab to see recent changes and roll back if needed. - If you have webhooks set up, check your logs to see who did what.
Problem: “Our editors forget to leave comments.” - Make it part of your publishing checklist. - If folks keep forgetting, consider a light process change: no one publishes without a comment, period.
Problem: “We need to prove to legal who changed what, and when.” - Built-in tools won’t cut it. Set up webhooks and store the data somewhere safe.
8. Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Tracking content changes in Contentful isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with what’s built in. If you hit the limits, add webhooks. Only reach for third-party tools if you have a real, painful problem they actually solve.
Most teams make their own lives harder by adding too many steps or tools. Keep your process lean, document the basics, and don’t be afraid to adjust as you go. The best system is the one you’ll actually use.