--- title: Monitor Changes with Edge Server description: You can monitor changes in a keyspace using the keyspaces's changes feed. pubDate: 2026-08-17T09:53:44.266Z antora: editUrl: https://github.com/couchbaselabs/docs-couchbase-lite-edge-server/edit/release/1.0/modules/rest-based-access/pages/changes-feed.adoc xref: xref:1.0@couchbase-edge-server:rest-based-access:changes-feed.adoc[] --- [Consult the llms.txt file for a full list of contents](/llms.txt) [View original HTML](/couchbase-edge-server/1.0/rest-based-access/changes-feed.html) # Monitor Changes with Edge Server > You can monitor changes in a keyspace using the keyspaces's changes feed. ## [](#sequences)Sequences The changes feed is based on _sequences_, which are abstract integer counters applied to documents. The changes feed returns the metadata (and optionally the contents) of documents that have changed since a specified sequence. Initially, on first launch, the client returns a sequence of `0`. In this case, the changes feed lists every document in the keyspace. The response from the changes feed includes a `last_seq` property. Clients should save the value of the `last_seq` property; this is called a _checkpoint_, and represents the current sequence counter value. On subsequent calls to the changes feed, the client may provide a checkpoint value using the `?since` query parameter. Set the value of this query parameter to the latest response's `last_seq` property. The changes feed responds with only the documents that have changed since the specified checkpoint. (It may be useful to add the query parameter `?active_only=true` to suppress deleted document tombstones. A new client has no need for this parameter.) ## [](#push-changes)Push Changes To avoid having to poll the changes feed, there are two alternate ways to invoke it that save bandwidth by waiting until changes arrive. These are selected by adding a `?feed` query parameter to the call. * The **longpoll** mode (`?feed=longpoll`) is just like the regular changes feed, except that if there are no changes to report, it will wait to send a response until something happens. The client therefore should operate in a loop where it requests the feed, processes the response when it arrives, updates its checkpoint, and then requests the feed again with an updated `?since` value. * The **continuous** mode (`?feed=continuous`) has a different, line-oriented, response format. Each change is reported as a separate JSON object, delimited by a newline (`\n`). The server sends all current changes, but never ends the response; instead it sends more changes as they occur. Continuous mode is more efficient than longpoll, but can be harder to use since the response is sent using `Transfer-Encoding: chunked`. Not all HTTP client libraries support this properly; some wait until the response is complete and then decode it, which does not work here because the response is never complete. Both these modes support two options that help work around network issues or server crashes: * `?heartbeat=N` requests that the server send a newline character over the socket every `N` milliseconds. * `?timeout=N` requests that the server close the connection if nothing's happened for `N` milliseconds. If neither of these is given, the server uses a default timeout interval. ## [](#examples)Examples In the command line examples: * `$USER` and `$PASSWORD` are the credentials for Couchbase Edge Server. * `$CERT` is the name and path to a TLS certificate file, for example `cert.cer`. * `$HOST` and `$PORT` are the host and port to connect to Couchbase Edge Server, for example `localhost:59840`. > [!NOTE] > that the following cURL examples use a self-signed TLS server certificate. In production, you're strongly recommended to use a TLS certificate generated by a well-known authority. ### [](#list-all-changes)List All Changes The following request lists all the changes for the specified keyspace. HTTP Request ```sh curl --cacert $CERT --user $USER:$PASSWORD \ "https://$HOST:$PORT/travel-sample.inventory.airport/_changes" ``` The response is a JSON object similar to the following. The results below are truncated to save space. HTTP Response ```json { "results": [ { "seq": 0, "id": "~XEltbV2jxLN04FDFsZED5_", "changes": [ { "rev": "1-22f5be403d75646a0758fab6731d7fa87c197666" } ] }, { "seq": 1, "id": "~AxF827yGbOQprwFMNaotw2", "changes": [ { "rev": "1-22855783cf597c31c37ec3815d8027f3706ef6f9" } ] }, // ... { "seq": 1986, "id": "~nfhr-PhlAOo-WyzVvrpRpN", "deleted": true, "changes": [ { "rev": "2-cd8cfb870756c1116ae91ca64772f7f05be502b5" } ] } ], "last_seq": 1986 } ``` Note the `last_seq` property. You can use this in a subsequent request to check for changes since this checkpoint. ### [](#list-changes-since-last-checkpoint)List Changes Since Last Checkpoint The following request lists all the changes that have been made to the specified keyspace since the specified checkpoint. HTTP Request ```sh curl --cacert $CERT --user $USER:$PASSWORD \ "https://$HOST:$PORT/travel-sample.inventory.airport/_changes?since=1986" ``` The response is a JSON object similar to the following. In this case, only one change has been made to one document since the specified checkpoint. HTTP Response ```json { "results": [ { "seq": 1987, "id": "~aN-Bmy8YthJlRuBOSYWfU-", "changes": [ { "rev": "1-22855783cf597c31c37ec3815d8027f3706ef6f9" } ] } ], "last_seq": 1987 } ``` ### [](#get-continuous-changes-feed)Get Continuous Changes Feed The following request returns a continuous feed of changes that have been made to the specified keyspace since the specified checkpoint. HTTP Request ```sh curl --cacert $CERT --user $USER:$PASSWORD \ "https://$HOST:$PORT/travel-sample.inventory.airport/_changes?since=1986&feed=continuous&timeout=5000" ``` The response is a JSON object similar to the following. HTTP Response ```json { "seq": 1987, "id": "~aN-Bmy8YthJlRuBOSYWfU-", "changes": [ { "rev": "1-22855783cf597c31c37ec3815d8027f3706ef6f9" } ] } ``` The REST API client then waits for the specified duration before timing out. If any further changes occur in the keyspace during that time, they are listed as they occur. ## [](#see-also)See Also * [Edge Server REST API](rest-api-landing.md) * [Get Started with the Edge Server REST API](rest-api-start.md) * [Database Operations with Edge Server](database-operations.md) * [Document Access with Edge Server](document-access.md) * [Run Queries with Edge Server](queries-api.md) * [Manage Replication with Edge Server](replication.md) * [Edge Server Public REST API](../public-api-reference/index.md)