Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Plastic SCM vs SVN (Subversion): What are the differences?
Key Differences between Plastic SCM and SVN (Subversion)
Plastic SCM and SVN (Subversion) are both version control systems commonly used in software development. However, they differ in several key aspects:
Scalability: Plastic SCM offers better scalability compared to SVN. Plastic SCM uses a distributed model that allows for decentralized development and better handling of large codebases. SVN, on the other hand, uses a centralized model, which can limit scalability for larger teams and projects.
Branching and Merging: Plastic SCM provides more advanced branching and merging capabilities than SVN. Plastic SCM supports true branching and merging, enabling developers to create and manage branches more efficiently. SVN, on the other hand, uses a copy-modify-merge model, which can be more complex and error-prone when dealing with branching and merging.
Performance: Plastic SCM generally provides better performance compared to SVN. Plastic SCM uses a database backend and optimized algorithms, which results in faster operations and better responsiveness. SVN, on the other hand, can be slower, especially for larger repositories or when dealing with complex operations.
Visualization: Plastic SCM offers comprehensive visualization tools that enable developers to visualize and understand the structure and history of their codebase easily. These visualizations include branch graphs, change sets, and live metrics. SVN, on the other hand, lacks such comprehensive visualization capabilities.
Flexibility: Plastic SCM offers more flexibility in terms of the supported workflows and integration with other tools. Plastic SCM supports various workflows, including Git-like workflows, which provides developers with more options to choose from. SVN, on the other hand, follows a more traditional centralized workflow and has limited integration options.
Security: Plastic SCM provides better security features compared to SVN. Plastic SCM offers advanced access control mechanisms, including fine-grained permission controls and encrypted communication, ensuring that only authorized users can access and modify the repository. SVN also supports access control, but its capabilities are not as advanced as Plastic SCM.
In summary, Plastic SCM offers better scalability, advanced branching and merging capabilities, improved performance, comprehensive visualization tools, enhanced flexibility, and superior security features compared to SVN.
SVN is much simpler than git for the simple stuff (checking in files and updating them when everyone's online), and much more complex than git for the complicated stuff (branching and merging). Or put another way, git's learning curve is steep up front, and then increases moderately as you do weird things; SVN's learning curve is very shallow up front and then increases rapidly.
If you're storing large files, if you're not branching, if you're not storing source code, and if your team is happy with SVN and the workflow you have, I'd say you should stay on SVN.
If you're writing source code with a relatively modern development practice (developers doing local builds and tests, pre-commit code reviews, preferably automated testing, preferably some amount of open-source code), you should move to git for two reasons: first, this style of working inherently requires frequent branching and merging, and second, your ability to interact with outside projects is easier if you're all comfortable with git instead of snapshotting the outside project into SVN.
Pros of Plastic SCM
- Wanna do Branch per Task Dev? Plastic rocks it8
- No Size limite4
- File Locking2
- Simple, easy to use interfaces. Resilient and solid2
- Very fast1
Pros of SVN (Subversion)
- Easy to use20
- Simple code versioning13
- User/Access Management5
- Complicated code versionioning by Subversion3
- Free2
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of Plastic SCM
- Always uses automatic conflict resolution first1
- Adds files with only changed timestamp to pending1
- Keyboard shortcuts are lacking1
- Can't place windows next to each other to save space1
- No dark theme1
- Doesn't have file staging1
Cons of SVN (Subversion)
- Branching and tagging use tons of disk space7
Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions
What is Plastic SCM?
What is SVN (Subversion)?
Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
What companies use SVN (Subversion)?
Sign up to get full access to all the companiesMake informed product decisions
What tools integrate with Plastic SCM?
What tools integrate with SVN (Subversion)?
Sign up to get full access to all the tool integrationsMake informed product decisions
Blog Posts
+7