What is the difference between Git and Subversion?
What is the difference between Git and Subversion?
Let’s look at some differences between Git and Subversion in this post. Both version control tools have major differences.
Git
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks source code changes during software development. It was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 and has since become the standard for version control in the software development industry.
Each Git user has a complete copy of the entire repository on their local machine, including the entire history. This makes Git highly flexible and allows for more efficient branching and merging.
- Website: https://git-scm.com/
Subversion
Subversion, often abbreviated as SVN, is a centralized version control system that tracks changes in files and directories over time. Unlike Git, which is distributed, SVN relies on a central repository to store the project’s entire history.
A single central repository stores all the changes, and users typically check out a working copy of a specific version.
- Website: https://subversion.apache.org/
Git vs. Subversion
| Feature | Git | Subversion |
| Version control
Distributed vs. Central |
Git is a DVCS(Distributed Version Control System) | Subversion(SVN) is a Centralised Version Control System. |
| Performance | Git is amazingly fast, especially for local operations. | Efficient for centralized workflows |
| Branching and merging | Git has strong support for branching and merging due to its distributed nature. | Subversion supported branching and merging but with less flexibility. |
| Tagging | Lightweight and flexible | Supported but less flexible |
| Team Collaboration | Git supports excellent collaboration for distributed teams. | Subversion supports centralized collaboration. |
| Learning | Learning Git and understanding it can take some time. | Learning Subversion is straightforward. |
| Offline support | Full functionality available offline | Limited offline capabilities. |
| Tool Popularity | Git is widely used by large community | Subversion has a dedicated community. |
| Tool Use cases | Git is versatile and is suitable for various projects. | Well-suited for projects with centralized workflows. |
| Best Suited workflows | Git is best suited for distributed software development and open-source projects. | Subversion is best suited for projects with strict access control and centralized workflows. |
