Svn

Apache Subversion version control system - Essential commands and usage patterns.

Overview

Svn is a version control used for apache subversion version control system. This cheat sheet covers the most commonly used commands and workflows.

Platform Support: Cross-platform Category: Development

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install svn

# Alternative installation methods
wget -O svn https://github.com/example/svn/releases/latest
chmod +x svn
sudo mv svn /usr/local/bin/

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install svn

# Manual installation
curl -L -o svn https://github.com/example/svn/releases/latest
chmod +x svn
sudo mv svn /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Chocolatey installation
choco install svn

# Scoop installation
scoop install svn

# Manual installation
# Download from official website and add to PATH

Basic Commands

Command	Description
`svn --help`	Display help information
`svn --version`	Show version information
`svn init`	Initialize svn in current directory
`svn status`	Check current status
`svn list`	List available options/items

Common Operations

Basic Usage

# Start svn
svn start

# Stop svn
svn stop

# Restart svn
svn restart

# Check status
svn status

Configuration

# View configuration
svn config show

# Set configuration option
svn config set <key> <value>

# Reset configuration
svn config reset

Advanced Operations

# Verbose output
svn -v <command>

# Debug mode
svn --debug <command>

# Dry run (preview changes)
svn --dry-run <command>

# Force operation
svn --force <command>

File Operations

Command	Description
`svn create <file>`	Create new file
`svn read <file>`	Read file contents
`svn update <file>`	Update existing file
`svn delete <file>`	Delete file
`svn copy <src> <dst>`	Copy file
`svn move <src> <dst>`	Move file

Network Operations

# Connect to remote host
svn connect <host>:<port>

# Listen on port
svn listen --port <port>

# Send data
svn send --data "<data>" --target <host>

# Receive data
svn receive --port <port>

Security Features

Authentication

# Login with credentials
svn login --user <username>

# Logout
svn logout

# Change password
svn passwd

# Generate API key
svn generate-key

Encryption

# Encrypt file
svn encrypt <file>

# Decrypt file
svn decrypt <file>

# Generate certificate
svn cert generate

# Verify signature
svn verify <file>

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Command not found

# Check if installed
which svn

# Reinstall if necessary
sudo apt reinstall svn

Issue: Permission denied

# Run with sudo
sudo svn <command>

# Fix permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/svn

Issue: Configuration errors

# Reset configuration
svn config reset

# Validate configuration
svn config validate

Debug Commands

Command	Description
`svn --debug`	Enable debug output
`svn --verbose`	Verbose logging
`svn test`	Run self-tests
`svn doctor`	Check system health

Best Practices

Security

Always verify checksums when downloading
Use strong authentication methods
Regularly update to latest version
Follow principle of least privilege

Performance

Use appropriate buffer sizes
Monitor resource usage
Optimize configuration for your use case
Regular maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance

# Update svn
svn update

# Clean temporary files
svn clean

# Backup configuration
svn backup --config

# Restore from backup
svn restore --config <backup-file>

Integration

Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# Example script using svn

# Check if svn is available
if ! command -v svn &> /dev/null; then
    echo "svn is not installed"
    exit 1
fi

# Run svn with error handling
if svn <command>; then
    echo "Success"
else
    echo "Failed"
    exit 1
fi

API Integration

# Python example
import subprocess
import json

def run_svn(command):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['svn'] + command.split(),
                              capture_output=True, text=True)
        return result.stdout
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: \\\\{e\\\\}")
        return None

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`SVN_CONFIG`	Configuration file path	`~/.svn/config`
`SVN_HOME`	Home directory	`~/.svn`
`SVN_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging level	`INFO`
`SVN_TIMEOUT`	Operation timeout	`30s`

Configuration File

# ~/.svn/config.yaml
version: "1.0"
settings:
  debug: false
  timeout: 30
  log_level: "INFO"

network:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 8080
  ssl: true

security:
  auth_required: true
  encryption: "AES256"

Examples

Basic Workflow

# 1. Initialize
svn init

# 2. Configure
svn config set host example.com

# 3. Connect
svn connect

# 4. Perform operations
svn list
svn create example

# 5. Cleanup
svn disconnect

Advanced Workflow

# Automated deployment
svn deploy \
  --config production.yaml \
  --environment prod \
  --verbose \
  --timeout 300

# Monitoring
svn monitor \
  --interval 60 \
  --alert-threshold 80 \
  --log-file monitor.log

Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Tutorials

Last updated: 2025-07-05