Learn how to - Install Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8

Felix Williams git How to Linux Tutorials June 5, 2023

Learn how to – Install Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8.

The Apache Subversion (SVN) is a free and open source version control system used to manage and track changes in files and directories. The versioning feature enables you restore to an old state of files as well as examine the changes over a period of time. The alternative to Apache Subversion is Git.

This guide will walk you through the installation of SVN Server on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8. As Apache Subversion doesn’t come with an authentication system, we’ll use Apache htpasswd command to add SVN users.

Install Apache Subversion on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 Linux

There are no major pre-requisites for SVN installation on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8. We’ll just ensure our system is updated, then proceed to install and configure Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 Linux.

Step 1: Update System

Update and upgrade system packages.

sudo yum -y update

Reboot is necessary after an upgrade.

sudo reboot

Step 2: Install Apache Subversion on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 Linux

Run the following commands to install SVN on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 Linux machine.

sudo dnf install subversion mod_dav_svn

Press the y key to start installation.

Install Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 1

Step 3: Create Apache Subversion configuration file

Create a configuration file on httpd configurations folder for SVN.

sudo vi /etc/httpd/conf.d/subversion.conf

Paste below into the file.

<Location /svn>
   DAV svn
   SVNParentPath /var/www/svn
   AuthType Basic
   AuthName "Apache SVN Repositories"
   AuthUserFile /etc/svn/svn-auth
   Require valid-user
</Location>

Create SVN directories.

sudo mkdir /var/www/svn /etc/svn/

Step 4: Create repository & Add SVN users

Create your first SVN repository.

cd /var/www/svn
sudo svnadmin create myrepo

Set permissions

sudo chown -R apache.apache myrepo

Also set proper SELinux security context.

sudo semanage fcontext -a -t  httpd_sys_content_t "/var/www/svn(/.*)?"

Create SVN HTTP access authentication file.

sudo touch /etc/svn/svn-auth

Add first SVN user.

$ sudo htpasswd -cm /etc/svn/svn-auth learnhowto
New password: <Enter-password>
Re-type new password: <Confirm-password>
Adding password for user learnhowto

Give proper permissions to password file.

sudo chown root:apache /etc/svn/svn-auth
sudo chmod 640 /etc/svn/svn-auth

To add additional users, use the command syntax.

sudo htpasswd -m /etc/svn/svn-auth user2
sudo htpasswd -m /etc/svn/svn-auth user3
sudo htpasswd -m /etc/svn/svn-auth user4

Step 5: Access SVN Web portal

Start and enable httpd service.

sudo systemctl enable --now httpd
sudo systemctl restart httpd

Open http port on the firewall.

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Open your web browser and type http://server_ip_or_hostname/svn/myrepo

Install Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8 2

Login with credentials provided earlier during configurations. For more reading, check official Apache Subversion documentation.

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Learn how to – Install Apache Subversion (SVN) on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8