CouchDB versioning strategy

Question

Would the following be a viable strategy for implementing versioning(using \"example\" as a sample document type):

Have one original document where the type field is

Answer 1

My first worry is: When "getting" a certain version, can you apply the changes to the original without modifying the database?

Will you ever need to delete something from the history? Are you really sure? Really, really sure? How about branches?

All in all, this looks like a complex strategy. Keep in mind that I've heard about CouchDB but never used it. I'd go for a more simple approach:

1. When you create a document, you assign a UUID. Don't use the name or you'll run into trouble during rename operations. Add a version field that reads "1". Create a second document which contains a list of documents with the same UUID or add a "parent" pointer to the first document.

   Having a "history document" per document allows for faster navigation of the history but parent pointers are more "safe" (since you can't easily create illegal structures with them).

2. When you create a new revision, reuse the UUID and assign a new, unique version. Update the history document or the parent pointer.

This strategy is pretty simple to implement and allows all kinds of flexibility later. You can erase parts of the history easily, rename is simple, and you can create branches.