How to Use SVN (And When to Migrate)

Many development teams use SVN for version control. 

But isn't it about time your development team learned how to use SVN more effectively?

Consider this your guide to using SVN (and deciding when to migrate).

Read along or jump to the section that interests you most:

• Subversion Definition
• SVN Commands
• SVN Branching & Merging
• TortoiseSVN
• SVN Price
• SVN Hosting
• Managing Multiple SVN Repositories
• Compare SVN vs. Others
• Customer Stories From Ex-SVN Users
• SVN Migration Toolkit

Subversion Definition

Subversion is a centralized version control system for managing versioned files such as source code. It's often abbreviated SVN.

Learn more about:

• The history of SVN.
• How it works.
• Common challenges.

Related blog: What Is Subversion?

How to Use SVN Commands

SVN commands help you work more efficiently in Subversion.

Master SVN commands today.

Get an overview of 15+ basic SVN commands — from svn checkout to svn merge. You'll even get a handy cheat sheet table of commands and their uses, so you'll always know the right command to use.

Related blog: SVN Commands Cheat Sheet

How SVN Branching Works

Branching and merging are staples to development. And SVN is no exception.

SVN branches allow your team to work on multiple versions of your code simultaneously.

Learn more about:

• How SVN branching works.
• Drawbacks to SVN branching and merging.
• How to stop SVN branching problems.

Related blog: SVN Branching

How to Work With TortoiseSVN

TortoiseSVN is the visual client for SVN. And it's what SVN users love most.

Find out why. And learn how to use TortoiseSVN.

Related blog: How to Use TortoiseSVN

SVN Price

Many businesses choose Subversion because it’s free. And when you’re a small business, cost is critical.

But in reality, what you save in money, you’ll lose in time and effort. 

In fact, there are 4 major costs associated with SVN. Find out how much it really costs, and whether you could save more by switching tools.

Related blog: Is Subversion Free?

How to Host SVN

SVN hosting services allow teams to create repos in the cloud, manage its access rights, and control everything as you would from an internal server. 

However, many organizations prefer on-premises hosting. This is because cloud hosting often lacks the comprehensive security and stability features.

Learn about your options for SVN hosting. 

Related blog: SVN Hosting

How to Manage Multiple SVN Repositories

Developers often need to work with multiple repos. But an SVN server contains a set of isolated SVN repositories.

A client connects to one repository at a time. Although it’s possible to keep multiple repos up-to-date manually, many developers have to come up with solutions to manage changes that happen in multiple repos.

Related blog: Multiple SVN Repositories

Compare SVN vs. Others

Many users start with SVN because it’s free. On the flip side, it forces you to spend valuable resources on code management issues – which stem from the suboptimal workflows and outdated functionality.

SVN isn't your only option. Compare it to other popular version control tools:

• Perforce vs. SVN
• ClearCase vs. SVN
• Git vs. SVN
• Compare Version Control Solutions

Customer Stories From Ex-SVN Users

Your team isn't the first one to migration from SVN. 

Every customer’s reason for migrating from SVN to Perforce is different. But a few things we hear about consistently are our security, performance, and ability to scale.

Related resource: (Ex) SVN Users

Free Toolkit: Migrate from SVN

Moving to a new version control system is a complicated effort. The process can be delicate, and it requires careful planning. But when you migrate to Helix Core, we can make your SVN migration easy. 

Get a toolkit and checklist that covers every element of the transition — from planning your branching strategy to training users on the new VCS.

Related resource: SVN Migration