What is Git vs SVN

Short answer

Git is a distributed version control system; SVN is centralized. Git stores full history locally, while SVN relies on a central server.

Key differences

• Architecture: Git is distributed (every clone is a full repo); SVN is centralized.
• Branching: Git branches are lightweight and instant; SVN branches are server-side copies.
• Performance: Git operations are mostly local and fast; SVN requires server communication.
• History: Git preserves full history locally; SVN fetches only the working revision.

When to use each

• Git: Open-source projects, distributed teams, frequent branching, offline work.
• SVN: Large binary assets, strict access control, simple linear workflows, legacy systems.