The short answer to the question “Is SVN still used?” is yes. But you might be wondering where it’s still being used and why—and it really comes down to its ability to handle large files and support centralized workflows.

Despite what some may think, Subversion (SVN) remains the second most popular choice for version control and is often the first choice among enterprise software development companies, like manufacturing and chip design.

While the changing development processes led most companies to embrace the distributed version control system Git, there are still key performance reasons for sticking with SVN. Keep reading to learn more about where SVN is still used, and if you should consider it for your next project.

What Is SVN?

SVN is an open-source, centralized version control system. Developers check out files to their local machines, make changes, and then commit those changes back to the central repository. Since developers only retrieve the specific files they’re working on, SVN can offer faster checkouts — particularly when dealing with large codebases.

It’s worth noting that, in the early days, companies typically hosted their services on-premises, which often required significant setup and maintenance. Today, however, cloud-based SVN hosting has eliminated much of that complexity. With platforms like Assembla, there’s no need to worry about setting up svn servers or virtual machines. Our fully managed VCS is just a few clicks away from deployment, getting you up and running quickly and efficiently.

SVN vs Git: two different approaches

Centralized vs Distributed Version Control

The key difference between SVN vs Git lies in their architecture: SVN is centralized, while Git is decentralized. When Git was introduced in 2005, fast internet was less widespread, and there was a lack of efficient collaboration tools for large teams. Git addressed these issues by allowing developers to work offline, commit to local repositories, and then push changes to a central repository when back online.

Today, however, with high-speed internet widely available in most countries, many companies use GitHub, GitLab, Assembla or Bitbucket to establish centralized repositories. Ironically, despite Git’s distributed nature, a centralized workflow — similar to what SVN offers — is now common in many software development teams.

Committing, Merging and Branching in Git vs SVN 

Git excels in collaboration due to its ease with branching and merging, which are more agile compared to SVN. While SVN supports branching, it uses a directory structure where all changes go back to the central trunk. Developers can download only the files they need but rely on an active connection to the svn server.

One of the top reasons why SVN is still used is its clear, centralized source of truth for branches that makes management straightforward. Git, on the other hand, requires downloading the full repository but allows developers to create multiple local branches for independent work. This flexibility is great for working offline but can sometimes complicate the concept of a single source of truth.

“I simply don’t see a valid reason to let everyone in one team or company have their own clone of a repository history and work in their own ‘parallel universe,’ so to speak. There should be a common understanding of your code, documentation, and artifacts.”

– Johan Corveleyn, software developer at Nexuzhealth

When it comes to committing changes, SVN users may face more frequent merge conflicts because everyone is working on a central branch, making it harder to keep local versions in sync. It’s also important to note that SVN’s centralized model creates a single point of failure—if the server goes down, the entire team’s workflow can be disrupted. To mitigate this, teams using SVN need a reliable backup strategy to protect their codebase. Alternatively, they can rely on an SVN hosting platform like Assembla, which manages all aspects of the infrastructure, ensuring stability and minimizing disruptions.

In contrast, Git allows developers to create local branches, test changes, and merge them independently before pushing to the central repository. This reduces the likelihood of conflicts compared to SVN.

However, Git isn’t always the ideal solution for every project. One downside of Git is the need to download the entire repository, which can be an issue when dealing with large codebases. While this enables faster local operations and offline flexibility, it can become a bottleneck when the repository is particularly large.

Handling Large Files With Git vs SVN

With Git, each time a large file is changed and committed, that file will need to be downloaded by everyone the next time they sync their local copies. This causes the Git repositories to grow, which slows down development. Before withdrawing SVN support, Github introduced three new features to address these problems: sparse checkout, sparse index, and partial clone. 

As for large binary files, there are some workarounds – namely with Git LFS. However, this adds an extra layer of complexity to the project, and you have to be careful to prevent issues when cloning or pulling from repositories with Git LFS. Then bandwidth and storage limits also factor in, since GitHub and GitLab impose limits on how much data can be stored and transferred. As many project managers know, costs can quickly escalate.

“When you’re dealing with binary assets of a significant size, Subversion handles those large files much more efficiently than Git does. If you’re going with Git for those types of projects, you need Git LFS (Large Filesystem), which is a bolt-on. Subversion, by contrast, handles this fluidly and natively.”

– Montana Mendy, Solutions Engineer at Travis CI

All things considered, SVN simply has better performance for large code bases that are frequently updated and binary files. That’s why game studios still use SVN and Perforce instead of Git. However, are they alone? Has SVN effectively become a niche? Where else is SVN still used?

Is SVN Still Used?

With the move to distributed version control systems like Git, and GitHub’s decision to sunset SVN support, you might be wondering if anyone – apart from game studios – still use anything other than Git. The answer is yes. Although the number of users is admittedly much smaller than in the past, SVN is still used in the manufacturing and semiconductor industries, for example. 

Besides its ability to handle large codebases and binary files, there’s another feature that makes SVN very appealing for version control in some industries. Since everyone works on the same trunk, SVN has an unalterable change history (unlike GIT). Hence, it’s a reliable choice for companies with strict compliance standards and that undergo regular audits, like those working in finance, health, the semiconductor industry or manufacturing. 

“With Git, the history [of changes] is stored in the branches until they are merged [with the development branch]. When using Subversion, however, these changes are made immediately – allowing for a step-by-step chronology to be followed.”

– Andrei Cusnir, Principal Support Engineer at Idera

Where is SVN still used?

If Subversion is still used, where is it used? SVN is still used in industries that prioritize centralized control and strict access management. These include large enterprises, government agencies, and defense contractors that need strong security and auditability.

Additionally, SVN is still used in research and academic institutions for projects requiring centralized workflows, as well as in embedded systems development (like automotive and aerospace), where handling large binary files is essential. SVN is also common in legacy systems maintenance, semiconductor manufacturing, and industries like video games and film/animation, where large files and digital assets abound.

Enterprise Software Development

SVN is still used by many large enterprises, particularly those with long-standing development processes and infrastructure. These enterprises value SVN’s centralized nature and strict access control features. 

Government and Defense

Government agencies and defense contractors often employ SVN for version control, as it provides strict access control and auditability, which are crucial for compliance and security requirements.

Research and Education

Academic institutions and research organizations still use SVN for version control in projects where centralized management and access control are prioritized over distributed workflows.

Embedded Systems Development

Industries involved in embedded systems development, such as automotive, aerospace, and industrial automation, continue to use SVN due to its suitability for managing large binary files and handling complex branching structures.

Legacy Systems Maintenance

Companies with legacy systems still use SVN to maintain and support their original code, especially if migrating to a different version control system is deemed too costly or risky. In this case, it’s beneficial to use a source code management platform like Assembla, which hosts both SVN and Git. Plus, you can avoid friction between teams by using our collaboration and project management tools. 

Semiconductors

Semiconductor designs are becoming more complex, leading to larger design documents. In addition, the semiconductor manufacturing process now involves a complicated supply chain with many different companies contributing to it All of these interactions, changes, and handoffs must be carefully tracked, leading to a large number of files that are frequently updated.

Video Games

Games have always been complex, but with today’s emphasis on high quality graphics and the move to more remote studios, version control that can support large binary files and quick downloads is even more important. Although we can only speak from our clients’ experiences, non-programming contributors, like artists and producers, also find SVN easier and friendlier than Git.

Film and Animation

Like game studios, film and animation studios often deal with large binary files such as video footage, 3D models and texture files. SVN doesn’t require massive storage space for multiple versions of the same file, and some studios prefer to have greater control over the art in a single, central repository. Again, this is an area where SVN is still used because confidentiality is a priority.

Manufacturing

Industrial manufacturing relies on PLCs (programmable logic controllers), which are industrial computers adapted to control manufacturing processes and work in real-time. PLCs are programmed to automate crucial and repeatable tasks and PLC code often involves binary files. In addition, manufacturing industries often have strict regulations and standards and require traceability and an audit trail to ensure compliance.

A word about SVN for single developers and small teams

Many younger developers never worked with something other than Git, starting from their university days. If that’s your case, you may be worried about branching, merging, and adjusting to another system. But when working alone or with a small organized team, merging conflicts are non-issue. Plus SVN has a simple architecture that is easy to pick up. And while the SVN community is significantly smaller than Git’s, you’ll find a lot of devs have used it in the past and are familiar with it. Plus, there are resources to help you through the trickiest parts.

Okay, but why SVN and not Perforce?, you may wonder. Assembla hosts all three – Git, SVN and Perforce – so we’ll give you an unbiased view. In comparison to Perforce, which artists and game studios also use regularly, Subversion is more affordable. If you’re using it for a side project or launching a start-up, it’s definitely a wise choice. So don’t be afraid to explore it and see if it works for the project you have at hand. Sign up for a 14-day free trial and give it a go.

Assembla: Alternative to Github for SVN

As with almost everything in life, there are downsides and upsides to each version control system. Git is better for collaboration; SVN is better for large files. Git can have a flaky commit history; SVN simplifies auditing and strict compliance. Git works great for software that needs constant updating and quick code revision; Subversion is better for shipped releases and downloadables. Git may be more familiar; Subversion is easier to set up.

But while we discuss who wins in the battle of SVN vs Git, we often lose sight of one important thing: you can have both. At Assembla, we have customers who choose Git or SVN according to what is right for each project, without preconceived notions that SVN is a relic from the past. At the same time, we acknowledge it is less agile, which is why we’ve been working hard at improving our collaboration and project management tools.

Assembla’s version control platform integrates with a powerful and agile project management tool that allows you to do code review and merge requests, link code commits to tickets, keep track of changes, enable closer collaboration, and automatic, reliable backups. You could say we’re Github for SVN. Whether for semiconductors, gaming, or other projects, Assembla is the best modern provider of cloud-based SVN hosting.

For twenty years, our service has been celebrated for its security and reliability. Today, we host the highest number of SVN repositories globally. We’re committed to providing a solution for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to enterprises, and our geographically distributed servers ensure great connectivity and speed, complete with SSH acceleration, even if your team is geographically dispersed.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Our team of seasoned experts is committed to delivering outstanding support for Apache Subversion (SVN) in the cloud. See for yourself in a 14-day trial!