svn Command Linux: Complete Guide to Subversion Version Control System

What is SVN (Subversion)?

SVN (Subversion) is a centralized version control system that helps developers track changes in files and directories over time. Unlike distributed systems like Git, SVN follows a client-server model where a central repository stores all versions of your project files. The svn command is the primary interface for interacting with Subversion repositories on Linux systems.

Subversion excels in environments where centralized control is preferred, making it popular in enterprise settings and projects requiring strict access controls and linear development workflows.

Installing SVN on Linux

Before using SVN commands, you need to install the Subversion client on your Linux system:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install subversion

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora:

sudo yum install subversion
# or for newer versions
sudo dnf install subversion

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S subversion

Verify the installation:

svn --version

Output:

svn, version 1.14.2 (r1899510)
   compiled Aug 27 2021, 17:26:15 on x86_64-pc-linux-gnu

Basic SVN Commands and Operations

1. Creating a Repository (svnadmin)

To create a new SVN repository locally:

svnadmin create /path/to/repository

Example:

svnadmin create ~/myproject-repo
ls -la ~/myproject-repo/

Output:

total 24
drwxr-xr-x 6 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 ..
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 conf
drwxr-xr-x 6 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 db
-r--r--r-- 1 user user    2 Aug 25 10:30 format
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 hooks
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 4096 Aug 25 10:30 locks
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user  246 Aug 25 10:30 README.txt

2. Checking Out a Repository (svn checkout)

To create a working copy from a repository:

svn checkout [URL] [LOCAL_PATH]

Examples:

# Local repository
svn checkout file:///home/user/myproject-repo myproject

# Remote repository
svn checkout https://svn.example.com/project/trunk project-trunk

Output:

Checked out revision 0.
A    myproject

3. Adding Files (svn add)

To add new files to version control:

cd myproject
echo "Hello World" > hello.txt
echo "# My Project" > README.md

svn add hello.txt README.md

Output:

A         hello.txt
A         README.md

Add all unversioned files:

svn add --force *

4. Committing Changes (svn commit)

To save changes to the repository:

svn commit -m "Initial commit with hello.txt and README.md"

Output:

Adding         README.md
Adding         hello.txt
Transmitting file data ..
Committed revision 1.

5. Checking Status (svn status)

To see the status of files in your working copy:

echo "Modified content" >> hello.txt
echo "new file" > newfile.txt

svn status

Output:

M       hello.txt
?       newfile.txt

Status codes explained:

• A – Added
• D – Deleted
• M – Modified
• C – Conflicted
• ? – Not under version control
• ! – Missing

6. Updating Working Copy (svn update)

To get the latest changes from the repository:

svn update

Output:

At revision 1.

Viewing Changes and History

1. Viewing Differences (svn diff)

To see changes in your working copy:

svn diff hello.txt

Output:

Index: hello.txt
===================================================================
--- hello.txt   (revision 1)
+++ hello.txt   (working copy)
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 Hello World
+Modified content

Compare specific revisions:

svn diff -r 1:2 hello.txt

2. Viewing Log History (svn log)

To see commit history:

svn log

Output:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
r1 | user | 2025-08-25 10:45:30 +0530 (Mon, 25 Aug 2025) | 1 line

Initial commit with hello.txt and README.md
------------------------------------------------------------------------

View detailed log with affected paths:

svn log -v

View log for specific revisions:

svn log -r 1:5

3. Viewing File Information (svn info)

svn info hello.txt

Output:

Path: hello.txt
Name: hello.txt
URL: file:///home/user/myproject-repo/hello.txt
Relative URL: ^/hello.txt
Repository Root: file:///home/user/myproject-repo
Revision: 1
Node Kind: file
Last Changed Author: user
Last Changed Rev: 1
Last Changed Date: 2025-08-25 10:45:30 +0530 (Mon, 25 Aug 2025)

Branching and Merging

1. Creating Branches

SVN uses directory structure for branching. Create the standard layout:

svn mkdir -m "Create standard layout" \
  file:///home/user/myproject-repo/trunk \
  file:///home/user/myproject-repo/branches \
  file:///home/user/myproject-repo/tags

Move existing files to trunk:

svn move hello.txt README.md trunk/
svn commit -m "Move files to trunk"

Create a new branch:

svn copy file:///home/user/myproject-repo/trunk \
         file:///home/user/myproject-repo/branches/feature-branch \
         -m "Create feature branch"

Check out the branch:

svn checkout file:///home/user/myproject-repo/branches/feature-branch feature-work

2. Merging Branches

To merge changes from a branch back to trunk:

cd trunk-working-copy
svn merge file:///home/user/myproject-repo/branches/feature-branch

Output:

--- Merging r3 through r5 into '.':
U    hello.txt
--- Recording mergeinfo for merge of r3 through r5 into '.':

Commit the merge:

svn commit -m "Merge feature-branch into trunk"

File and Directory Operations

1. Moving and Renaming (svn move)

svn move oldname.txt newname.txt
svn commit -m "Rename oldname.txt to newname.txt"

2. Deleting Files (svn delete)

svn delete unwanted.txt
svn commit -m "Remove unwanted file"

3. Creating Directories (svn mkdir)

svn mkdir src docs
svn commit -m "Add src and docs directories"

Advanced SVN Operations

1. Reverting Changes (svn revert)

Undo local changes:

svn revert hello.txt

Revert all changes recursively:

svn revert -R .

2. Resolving Conflicts

When conflicts occur during update or merge:

svn update

Conflict output:

C    hello.txt
Updated to revision 3.
Conflict discovered in file 'hello.txt'.
Select: (p) postpone, (df) show diff, (e) edit, (mc) my version, (tc) their version, (s) show all options:

After resolving manually:

svn resolve --accept working hello.txt

3. Tagging Releases (svn copy)

svn copy file:///home/user/myproject-repo/trunk \
         file:///home/user/myproject-repo/tags/v1.0.0 \
         -m "Tag version 1.0.0 release"

4. Working with Properties (svn propset/propget)

Set file properties:

svn propset svn:ignore "*.log" .
svn propset svn:executable "*" script.sh

View properties:

svn propget svn:ignore .

List all properties:

svn proplist -v hello.txt

SVN Configuration and Optimization

1. Global Configuration

SVN configuration files are located in ~/.subversion/:

ls ~/.subversion/

Output:

auth  config  README.txt  servers

2. Setting Default Editor

Edit ~/.subversion/config:

editor-cmd = nano

3. Ignoring Files

Create global ignores in config file:

global-ignores = *.o *.so *.a *.la *.tmp *~

Working with Remote Repositories

1. Authentication

For HTTPS repositories with authentication:

svn checkout https://svn.example.com/repo/trunk --username myuser

Store credentials:

svn checkout https://svn.example.com/repo/trunk --username myuser --password mypass --no-auth-cache

2. Repository Information (svn info)

svn info https://svn.example.com/repo/trunk

Troubleshooting Common SVN Issues

1. Corrupted Working Copy

Clean up locked working copy:

svn cleanup

2. Repository URL Changes

Relocate working copy to new URL:

svn relocate https://old-server.com/repo https://new-server.com/repo

3. Checking Repository Health

svnadmin verify /path/to/repository

SVN Best Practices

1. Repository Structure

• Use standard trunk/, branches/, tags/ layout
• Keep trunk stable and development-ready
• Use descriptive branch names

2. Commit Guidelines

• Make atomic commits (related changes together)
• Write meaningful commit messages
• Test before committing
• Update before committing

3. Branching Strategy

• Create feature branches for new development
• Use tags for releases
• Merge branches back to trunk regularly

Conclusion

The SVN command-line interface provides powerful version control capabilities for managing source code and project files. While Git has gained popularity in recent years, SVN remains valuable in environments requiring centralized control, linear history, and fine-grained access permissions.

Key takeaways for effective SVN usage:

• Master basic commands: checkout, add, commit, update, status
• Understand branching and merging workflows
• Use proper repository structure and naming conventions
• Configure SVN properly for your development environment
• Handle conflicts and repository issues confidently

With this comprehensive guide, you now have the knowledge to effectively use SVN for version control in your Linux development workflow. Practice these commands regularly to build proficiency and adapt them to your specific project requirements.