Git vs SVN

October 28, 2021

Git vs SVN

Have you ever heard developers debating over Git and Subversion (SVN) and wondered which one is better? Both Git and SVN are popular version control systems used in DevOps, but they have their differences. In this post, we'll compare Git vs SVN based on features, performance, and popularity, to help you determine which one is right for your team.

Features

Git is a distributed version control system, which means it provides a full copy of the entire repository to all developers. This makes it easier for developers to work offline and collaborate with others. It also offers a powerful branching and merging system, making it easier to manage code changes and rollbacks.

On the other hand, SVN is a centralized version control system, meaning all code is stored on a central server and developers must have internet access to interact with it. SVN provides a simple branching and merging system that lacks some of the advanced features found in Git.

Performance

When it comes to performance, Git is generally faster than SVN. Since Git is a distributed system, it stores a complete copy of the repository on each developer's machine, reducing the need for network access. This makes it quick and easy to commit changes, switch branches, and merge code.

SVN, being a centralized system, requires developers to communicate with the server frequently, which can affect performance, especially on large codebases with many contributors.

Popularity

According to a Stack Overflow developer survey, Git is the most popular version control system, being used by over 87% of developers, while only 8.9% use SVN. This is likely due to Git's popularity in the open-source community, as well as its powerful feature set and high performance.

Conclusion

Both Git and SVN have their uses in DevOps, and the choice depends on your team's specific needs. Git offers powerful features, easy branching and merging, and high performance, while SVN provides a simple interface and centralized management of code. It's important to consider the needs of your team and project before choosing a version control system.

In the end, it might be worth trying both systems and determining which one works best for your team's specific needs. Happy coding!

References

  1. "Git Vs. SVN: Which Is Better?" GitKraken.com, 30 Apr. 2021, https://www.gitkraken.com/learn/git/the-difference-between-git-and-svn \
  2. "Version Control Systems." Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021, 2021, https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021#work-tools-most-popular-version-control-system \
  3. "Git vs. Subversion." Atlassian.com, https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/svn-to-git-prepping-your-team-migration \
  4. "Distributed version control." Git-scm.com, https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Distributed-Systems-Distributed-VC.

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