---
title: "Build history"
---

# Build history

The builds in the build's buildhistory repository, and two builds compared by package, size, file, dependency, licence and image configuration, beside buildhistory-diff's own list, exported for the change record.

Release reviews ask what changed in the image. The build history editor reads the Git repository the `buildhistory` class writes (`INHERIT += "buildhistory"` with `BUILDHISTORY_COMMIT = "1"`), on the build host.

**State:** modelled: the change list is identical to `buildhistory-diff` from OE-Core master and scarthgap, with all its options, on our own repository in the documented layout (2 builds, 16 packages) and on a synthetic 1,500-package repository, compared in 0.46 to 0.63 s. Not run on a real build's repository, on Wind River Linux, against a real SSH server or on Windows. Task signatures (`-s`, `-S`) are not compared.

## Compare two builds

1. Run **Open Build History**. The editor lists the builds with commit, date, build name, distribution, machine, result and tags.
2. Pick one build as **From** and one as **To**, and choose **Compare**. The options match `buildhistory-diff`: **Every change (-a)**, **Version fields (-v)** and **Exclude paths (-e)**.
3. The summary shows packages added and removed, versions up and down, the image size change, files, dependencies and licences changed. Tabs list each:
   - **Packages**: added, removed, upgraded and downgraded, with recipe, size and licence;
   - **Sizes**, **Files**, **Dependencies** (runtime dependencies), **Licences** and **Image Configuration**;
   - **buildhistory-diff**: the changes as `buildhistory-diff` prints them by default.
4. **Export Markdown...** or **Export CSV...** writes the comparison for the change record.

Licences per package need the image's kept `license.manifest`.

## Agent tools

**List Builds in Build History** and **Compare Builds** are read-only tools.

Next: [devtool](https://neuralinverse.com/docs/modules/embedded-linux/devtool/).