Apache Subversion (SVN) is a software versioning and revision control system distributed as open source under the Apache License. See how to choose the best Subversion host.
Why it’s best: A2 Hosting is a great all-around hosting provider with cheap shared hosting plans that cover everything from personal projects to larger businesses
Why it’s best: Premium support and features such as a CDN (content delivery network), SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate, and email are all included with every plan
We selected hosting providers that offer SVN preinstalled, outstanding uptime, fast SSDs, and automated backups. We pared down the list by comparing it to the feedback we’ve received on thousands of independent customer hosting reviews.
What Is Subversion?
Subversion is an open-source version control system (VCS) that you will often see abbreviated to ‘SVN’. Subversion helps you to stay organized as you develop your own scripts. As you develop software, you’ll need to manage the different revisions and ensure changes are properly tracked.
On an extremely basic level, Subversion monitors:
File operations (such as renaming, copying, and moving files)
Directories
Files that are being worked on
The activities of different collaborators
It also produces a log file in XML format, so it’s easy to see what’s been changed, and who changed it. Changes to any file can be rolled back.
One of Subversion’s biggest strengths is its ability to track work over a network, or over the web. This makes it ideal for collaborative projects, hence its popularity with the open-source community.
How To Choose a Subversion Web Host
Subversion saves a file path and a revision number for every file in the project. It does not host any files itself, so its data represents links to files rather than the files. This means Subversion can run on a relatively small disk space allocation. However, not all hosts offer Subversion because it’s so specialized.
Here are a few tips when looking for a web host that supports Subversion:
Look for specific details on the host’s site, and submit pre-sales questions to make sure you’ll get what you need.
Make sure your host can make Subversion private, and ensure it won’t plaster your install with advertising.
If you have a large team, check you won’t be charged extra for sharing.
A backup provision is strongly recommended. Don’t rely on your host’s backups, since they’re almost certainly private to the host, and you won’t be allowed access to them.
Pay for a good quality cloud backup service, or buy an appropriate service as an add-on to your hosting plan.
A2 Hosting is a great all-around hosting provider with cheap shared hosting plans that cover everything from personal projects to larger businesses
For the cheapest Subversion hosting, check out A2 Hosting. Their shared servers will give you some of the most affordable hosting for Subversion.
Subversion comes pre-installed on your server and A2 Hosting loads your account with all the developer features you’ll need. A2 also uses the high-performance SwiftServer platform which has been optimized for fast loading times. No matter what Subversion project you need hosted, A2 is a great service to get you started.
Pros and cons of A2 Hosting
Pros
24/7/365 support
International data centers
Cons
Long-term contracts
What customers are saying about A2 Hosting:
A2 is a reliable, affordable hosting company that has fast speeds. The customer service is generally responsive but could use more updated tutorials and documentation.
Premium support and features such as a CDN (content delivery network), SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate, and email are all included with every plan
Nexcess makes it onto this list by virtue of having great managed plans which can technically support Subversion. While this isn’t something that is advertised, the tech support team assured me that I could do so, though it might fall outside the range of their ability to support it. All this means is that they don’t guarantee their ability to problem solve Subversion specifically since it’s not within their normal scope of knowledge.
However, the rest of your experience should be fairly seamless as Nexcess’ managed plans take a lot of the back-end maintenance of a website out of your hands.
Pros and cons of Nexcess
Pros
Lots of options for hosting
Built-in CDN
Free white-glove migration services
Cons
Higher prices versus competitors
What customers are saying about Nexcess:
Customers say that Nexcess has fair prices, great customer assistance, and a wide range of plans that are easy to scale as needed. However, some customers have had issues with domain registration and downtime.
The dashboard is easy to navigate, the pricing plans are affordable, and you get great selling features even with the basic plan
While IONOS isn’t the cheapest option on this list, it just may be the easiest to use thanks to a pre-installed Subversion instance and a great overall design.
IONOS offers an easy drag-and-drop editor called MyWebsite Creator for users who lack coding knowledge or are new to online store creation. Using this editor, you can launch your store in as little as three steps.
Pros and cons of IONOS
Pros
Easy to use
Social selling
Excellent Support
Cons
No free trial
What customers are saying about IONOS:
Customers appreciate the responsive and helpful customer service and amount of service for a low monthly fee. However, others report problems with the billing department and long wait times for image uploads.
The dashboard is easy to navigate, the pricing plans are affordable, and you get great selling features even with the basic plan
Hostinger is one of our favorite web hosts of 2023 for a good reason - it’s reliable, has great customer service, and offers great performance and features for a low cost. It’s an awesome overall web hosting service.
The only thing that sets it back on this list is that Subversion doesn’t come pre-installed on this platform — you’ll have to get it up and running yourself. While this could be a pretty big hurdle for some, we think that the overall stability and added benefits Hostinger offers to be a decent trade-off for this inconvenience.
Pros and cons of Hostinger
Pros
Popular and stable
Affordable
LiteSpeed Implementation
Cons
No dedicated servers
What customers are saying about Hostigner:
Hostinger is one of the best hosting companies for people who are starting out with a website and seeking low prices. The customer service and mail server could use some improvements, though.
Lightning-fast servers, quick response times, and 24/7 support make it an excellent choice for small to midsize projects
On paper, GreenGeeks has the lowest priced rate of any of the other picks on this list. However, that comes with a pretty big caveat — you have to sign up for a three-year plan in order to secure that great rate. While this is obviously a big commitment, there’s a reason behind it — it’s more cost effective and eco-friendly to stay with one web host rather than bouncing around.
Still, you probably won’t regret the decision — GreenGeeks has a solid reputation and customer support is one of the best in the business.
Pros and cons of GreenGeeks
Pros
Eco-friendly hosting methods
Well-stacked help center
Automatic nightly backup
Cons
You must commit to a three-year plan to use the advertised price
What customers are saying about GreenGeeks:
GreenGeeks is a Canadian eco-friendly hosting company with helpful customer support. The pricing and performance are favorable, but watch out for hidden fees and policies.
Subversion is a collaborative software tool for developers. It allows distributed workforces and teams that work simultaneously on the same codebase and to keep track of each other’s progress while saving a revision history.
Do I need special software to use Subversion?
No, you do not need any special software to run Subversion. Subversion can be run from the command line — which is why many programmers refer to it as “SVN” — as well as on a live server. SVN is not a software, but instead, a collaborative function.
What programming languages does Subversion support?
Subversion supports a variety of programming languages. These include language bindings for C#, PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, and Java. Subversion as a computer program is written in the programming language “C”.
Git is a widely used solution for version control and is probably the most commonly used alternative to Subversion. Over 20 commercial version control systems are also available from leading software and hardware manufacturers. You can also use CVS, a predecessor to Subversion, but it is no longer in active development.
Can Subversion be used on a shared hosting plan?
You can use Subversion on a shared hosting plan, providing your project requirements are not too demanding. However, if your project becomes resource-heavy and demanding, you may need to factor in a scalable host to upgrade to a VPS or dedicated hosting plan. To get the best deal on repository hosting, you need to consider your resource demand.
Is support available for Subversion?
There is no official support channel available. However, the community behind the project is rather active, and you can find answers to most questions on their mailing list and the project’s wiki. There are also other social networks like Reddit where you can find relevant threads on Subversion.
Can A novice install subversion?
You can install Subversion as a novice, though you may find this task slightly difficult if you have never installed programs on a web server manually. There is no one-click installer for Subversion, and as such, you would have to rely on the command line for the installation process.
You may want to contact your hosting provider for instructions on installing it onto your server.