Apache Subversion: Quick Start

Graphical user interface (GUI) clients ¶

If you are not familiar with Subversion, you may be better served by a graphical client. (The Subversion project only maintains a command-line-based clients, but a number of third parties maintain graphical clients that build on our API (for programmers).) We do not maintain a list of such clients; instead, we recommend you do a Web search for Subversion GUI client.

Make an existing directory a working copy of a new repository ¶

The following commands will convert a ./my-directory/ containing files into a working copy of a newly-created repository:

On Unix:

$ mkdir -p $HOME/.svnrepos/
$ svnadmin create ~/.svnrepos/my-repos
$ svn mkdir -m "Create directory structure." file://$HOME/.svnrepos/my-repos/trunk file://$HOME/.svnrepos/my-repos/branches file://$HOME/.svnrepos/my-repos/tags
$ cd my-directory
$ svn checkout file://$HOME/.svnrepos/my-repos/trunk ./
$ svn add --force ./
$ svn commit -m "Initial import"
$ svn up

On Windows:

> set REPOS_DIR=C:\repos\my-repos
> mkdir C:\repos
> svnadmin create %REPOS_DIR%
> svn mkdir -m "Create directory structure." "file:///%REPOS_DIR%/trunk" "file:///%REPOS_DIR%/branches" file:///%REPOS_DIR%/tags"
> cd my-directory
> svn checkout "file:///%REPOS_DIR%/trunk" ./
> svn add --force ./
> svn commit -m "Initial import"
> svn up

See also quickstart instructions in The Subversion Book.