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Git rev-list and git diff: How to compare one data file across seven days

Use git rev-list to find commits in a defined seven-day window that touched a file, then git diff to compare selected revisions. The commit window and snapshot endpoints are not the same thing.
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Use git rev-list to find commits in a chosen seven-day window that touched a file, then use git diff to compare that file at two selected revisions. These commands answer different questions: the first selects commits by ancestry, date, and path; the second compares endpoints. A date-filtered commit list does not automatically give you the file snapshots at the exact start and end of the week.

Define the week and the history you want to search

Start by choosing the ref whose history matters—usually HEAD—and set explicit start and end timestamps, including a timezone. The example below uses UTC and an illustrative window from September 30 to October 7, 2026; replace both timestamps with the boundaries you need.

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Git documents --since=<date> (also --after=<date>) for commits newer than a date and --until=<date> (also --before=<date>) for commits older than a date. The documentation describes these comparisons but does not make a reader’s intended boundary policy for a particular reporting question. Decide whether the endpoints should count, and verify the resulting commits if exact inclusivity matters. Avoid relying on today for a precisely bounded window: Git defines it as the last midnight, not as a rolling seven-day period. Git’s rev-list options documentation

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Also decide which date is meaningful for your task. Git offers author- and committer-date filtering; those dates can represent different events, so don’t treat them as interchangeable. The official options reference documents the available filters.

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List commits that touched the file

Put the file path after -- to separate it from revision and option arguments. For example:

git rev-list --since='2026-09-30 00:00:00 +0000' 
  --until='2026-10-07 00:00:00 +0000' HEAD -- path/to/data-file

Replace the example dates and path. This lists commits reachable from HEAD that match the date filters and touch the specified path. rev-list walks commit ancestry; it is not a calendar database or a direct query for the file’s snapshot at a given moment. The set of commits also depends on the starting ref and any range or exclusion notation you use. The Git 2.33.1 rev-list manual shows the ancestry-walk and path-limiting behavior.

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Choose the comparison endpoints

Review the listed revisions and select the older and newer commits that answer your question. Then compare the file at those endpoints:

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git diff <older-commit> <newer-commit> -- path/to/data-file

git diff compares the specified endpoints; it does not replay or list every commit selected by the date filter. A net diff between two revisions shows the difference between those snapshots, which can hide intermediate changes that were later reversed. If the chronology matters, inspect the matching commits individually as well. The Git diff documentation describes its comparison forms.

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When you need the file exactly at the week’s edges

A commit filter finds matching commits; it does not choose snapshots corresponding to the precise beginning and end timestamps. To describe the change across those exact edges, identify the appropriate revisions or snapshots on either side of each boundary, then compare those endpoints. The right endpoints depend on the repository’s history and on what you mean by “at” a boundary—for example, whether you want the last state before the start time and the last state by the end time.

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When to use since-as-filter

For some revision ranges, ordinary --since history traversal may stop after reaching an older commit. If you need to visit all commits in the chosen range and then filter by the lower date, consider --since-as-filter=<date>. Git documents that option as visiting all commits in the range rather than stopping at the first commit older than the date. Choose it based on the range and history-walk behavior you need; it is not a universal substitute for other traversal settings. See the rev-list options reference.

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Check these choices before interpreting the result

  • Starting ref and range: Confirm whether you mean commits reachable from HEAD, another branch, or a specified revision range. In merge-heavy or unusual histories, parent links and exclusions affect which commits are reachable.
  • Time boundaries and timezone: State the intended timestamps and timezone; decide whether commits at the boundaries should be included.
  • Date type: Choose author or committer date according to the event you mean.
  • Path history: A path limit selects commits touching that path. If the file was renamed or its history must be followed across path changes, verify that the path-limited result covers the history you intend.
  • Net change or chronology: Use a two-endpoint diff for the net snapshot difference; inspect intermediate commits when the sequence of changes matters.

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