create own svn repository hosting

Question

Since a week I use ToirtoiseSVN and AnkhSVN and GoogleCode and sourceforge.net as my project hosting. For me it's frustrating to fill all this forms before create next project. So I start thinking about my own repository hosting.

Can I use simple file hosting etc. and install there software like use Google or SourceForge to have my own SVN Server? My point is to have independent repository in internet without all this uselessly UI interface which give me Google and SF to administrate my version control. I don't want to take advantage of already existing hosting services like GoogleCode etc. - I want to be independent from them! ;)

Or maybe it's other way to do my own repository hosting and FREE ;) Please don't tell me that I'm at mercy of commercial hosting... :/

Answer 1

VisualSVN server is the easiest to get up and running

Answer 2

You can't install subversion on a standard shared web hosting package. You will need either specialized hosting that explicitly provides subversion, or rent a small (possibly virtual) server and install all the software you need on that (the most flexible solution, but also requires quite a bit of knowledge to set up securely).

Also, check out my recent question on serverfault: Affordable combined Ruby/Rails/Redmine + Subversion hosting?

Answer 3

If you have your own server, then you can simply follow a tutorial for whatever os.

I have ubuntu server and followed this tutorial https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Subversion

Answer 4

You could use a distributed version control system like Mercurial or Git. With these systems you simply create a local repository to work against.

For backup/remote access you simply upload the folder to a web storage.

Answer 5

Setting up VisualSVN, like @dr suggested, would require your own windows server to install it on (ie a cheap VPS). You can get svn running on linux and linux vps are event cheaper than windows so shouldn't be too much of a financial burden if you want to go this route.

If you want pure free, then I feel unfortunatly you will have to stick with filling out forms :-)

Answer 6

It is very easy to set up a simple subversion repository, especially if it just for you. Actually, if it is just for you, you may set up a svn repository on local disk and you do not have to setup any server. I do that sometimes for my own little projects, just to have the history of my work.

Assuming you are on Unix, you create a repository with:

svnadmin create /path/to/repo

and checkout with:

svn checkout file:///path/to/repo

Plus just a little configuration:-). Let me know if you need more details on this kind of setup.