Subversion (SVN) is a mature, powerful and Enterprise grade Version Control System. The Subversion software package contains a server application to provide SVN services wihin your local network. If demands are rising and you are required to manage lots of Subversion repositories you should take a look at the Apache DAV module to interface with Subversion repositories.

1. Why to utilize Apache Servers?

You might ask yourself why to utilize Apache Servers in front of Subversion repositories. There are a lot of reasons why to integrate the Apache Server into your SVN hosting:

• Various repositories are accessible via a single hostname and port number.
• By utilizing HTTP/HTTPS it is earier to route network traffic without the need to support an additional application specific network protocol.
• All features of the Apache webserver are available to forward, filter oder rewrite connection requests. Additionally you may utilize one of the powerful authentication mechanisms available for Apache Servers.
• Utilize HTTPS when transferring data via untrusted network segments.

2. Apache Configuration

2.1. Location of Repositories

Repositories are to be placed within a single directory. This directory will be mentioned within the Apache configuration to access contents within your repositories. (see parameter description of 'SVNParentPath').

2.2. Required Modules

To add support for Subversion Repositories to your Apache Server you have to add/enable some modules. 'dav_module' and 'dav_svn_module' are required to support core Subversion features to checkout, update and commit change sets. If you are interested in additional features like authorization you should take a look at 'authz_svn_module' or similar modules.

2.3. Example Configuration

The following example is illustrating how to configure a full featured and ACL-based SVN service.

<Location /svn>
    DAV svn
    SVNParentPath /opt/repos_svn 
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "Repository authentication"
    AuthUserFile /opt/repos_svn/dav_svn.passwd
    AuthzSVNAccessFile /opt/repos_svn/dav_svn.authz
    Satisfy All
    Require valid-user
</Location>
 

For details regarding the syntax of the referenced access and password file, please consult the manual of your Apache and Subversion release.

If you are faced with problems when setting up your own SVN services, please do not hestitate to request professional support at Linux-Support.com.

Related articles:

• HTTP Data Stream Compression
• Protect Web-Services with ModSecurity
• Prevent Switch from HTTPs to HTTP with Apache

Related resources:

• Apache and Subversion at Wikipedia
• SVN Book - Apache and SVN Repositories
• Example configuration for Debian and Ubuntu