Version Control Comparison: Choosing the best version control framework is quite a difficult task for most of the users because of available plenty options. While choosing the right version control for your project, you should keep in mind the pros and cons of the version control system you are opting for based on the IDE plug-in and execution speed.

Which version is right for your project?

Since there are plenty of version control systems available these days, choosing what are right for your project is quite challenging. Let’s discuss some popular version control systems.

Although, before proceeding any further on this fairly technical topic, if you do not possess a software background, please read the comparison carefully, or consulting technical personnel might prove more beneficial according to the nature of your project.

Version control software, including the well-known Git or SVN, is primarily designed to provide foreground programmers to collaborate in teams. The objective is to reduce time while developing to gain more business success in the field of product development life cycle. Version control not only reduces man-hours but also aces the individuals in teams to gain certain momentum in the skill that is quite hot in the market thereby reducing paperwork and bookmarks. It serves to manage, deploy, and handle the files in an organized manner facilitating file updates.

There is a lot of buzz in and around version control systems primarily on choosing the right version control for projects. To handle this issue, various debates are being carried out right now. While choosing any version control for any project, users should always consider the features, pros, and cons of the software module. The version control must also possess considerable features which might be great for a project in terms of speed but may overshadow the other important parameters that may be required at any point in time.

Another factor that one needs to consider is that the version control is server-based or peer-to-peer. They may possess a centralized repository where the code is checked and stored and rolled back or frequently updated from peer-to-peer sources and they may also possess decentralized nature to keep the source code current.

Beyond that, a user might also need to consider functionalities, speed, and the learning curve associated with the system. To be sure which one is right for your project depends on these factors with additional nature and objective that is to be achieved. Let us now look at some of the major systems that are available and the reason why programmers prefer one over the other.

Features of Version Control

The features of version control are as follows:

Previous version rollback.
Works as a digital asset (Binary file storage).
Merge and compare branches.
Utility to trace previous versions.
Digital warehouse of source codes.
Well-maintained file system.
Parallel development of streams and branches.

What is GIT?

Features of Git

The features of Git are as follows:

Open source.
Strong support for non-linear development.
Decentralized version control system.
Good to go with protocols like FTP, SSH, or HTTP.
Better handling of small, medium and large projects.
Hashed or cryptographic history authentication.
Object packing periodically.
Easy to handle tool-based design.
Garbage accumulation and decomposition.

Advantages of Git

The advantages of Git are as follows:

Lightening speed.
Offers Git Bash tool for CLI.
Robust infrastructure and maintenance.
Well supported changes and tracing.
Cross platform and well-versed.
Offers state change, commit, push commands with a single click.

Disadvantages of Git

The disadvantages of Git are as follows:

Does not preserve timestamp and keyword expansion.
Difficult to understand and complex nature of history.

CVS- Concurrent Versions System

Features of Client-server repository model

Let’s consider some features of CVS model.

Parallel workspace development.
Allows manual conflict intervention only when it occurs.
Historical snapshot of project in a workspace.
Read access is anonymous.
Different branching techniques.
Security support by avoiding symbols.

Advantages of Client-server repository model

Huge support community.

CLI feature for robust and powerful scripting.
A bit old and familiar tool.
Supports browsing support in web repository.
Cross platform.
Open-source and collaborative nature.

Disadvantages of Client-server repository model

Unsupported commits and atomic check-outs.
Poor support for distributed source control.
No facility for integrity checking of repository.

Mercurial

Features of Mercurial

Delivers scalability and great performance.
Completely distributed and cross-collaborative.
High-end merging and branching features.
Decentralized version control.
Able to handle robust binary and plain-text files.
Has in-built web interface support.

Advantages of Mercurial

Simple to use.
Lightweight with tiny footprint.
Easy to learn and adapt.

Disadvantages of Mercurial

Does not work well with extensions.
Sectional or partial check-outs are unsupported.

SVN- Apache Subversion

Features of SVN- Apache Subversion

Permits distributed branching and is a client-server version control.
Possesses version directories.
Common actions like cloning , renaming or deleting are also versioned.
Meta-data is of free-form version.
Good to go with atomic commits and check-outs.
Binary storage feature for space efficiency.
Path-based authorization with a standalone server operation.
File size is independent of branching because of cheap operation.
File locking and full MIME support.

Advantages of SVN- Apache Subversion

Environment setup is easy.
Has great support to windows than Git.
Grip with empty directories.
Well integrated with Agile tools.
Supports TortoiseSVN for great user interface.
Well versed with Windows IDE.

Disadvantages of SVN- Apache Subversion

Bugs while renaming files and directories.
Lesser commands for repository management.
Slow and less collaborative.

Third Party Comparison Insights

Tools	Windows	Mac	Linux	Android	IOS	Price	Licence Type
Github	yes	yes	no	no	no	free	MIT
Tower	yes	yes	no	no	no	$79/User Free for non-commerical	proprietary
Git extension	yes	yes	yes	no	no	free	GNU GPL
Sourcetree	yes	yes	no	no	no	free	proprietary
TortoiseGit	yes	no	no	no	no	free	GNU GPL

Git Version Control Comparison