Concurrent Versions System (CVS)
The most ancient of version control systems.
Overview
Concurrent Versions System (CVS) is one of the original version control systems, establishing many of the concepts used by later systems. It uses a client-server, centralized architecture. While it has been almost entirely superseded by Subversion and later Git, it is historically significant and may still be in use for maintaining very old legacy projects.
✨ Key Features
- Centralized, client-server model
- File-level versioning (not atomic commits)
- Branching and tagging
- Concurrent access by multiple developers
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Simplicity of its model
- Historical significance
Unique Value: Provides basic version control functionality for legacy systems where migration is not an option.
🎯 Use Cases (2)
✅ Best For
- Was the standard for open-source version control for many years before Subversion.
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Any new project
- Projects requiring atomic commits
- Projects requiring efficient branching and merging
🏆 Alternatives
Subversion was created specifically to replace CVS, offering key improvements like atomic commits and versioned directories. Git and other DVCS offer a fundamentally more powerful and flexible model.
💻 Platforms
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Completely free and open source.
🔄 Similar Tools in Version Control
GitHub
A web-based hosting service for version control using Git....
GitLab
A single application for the entire software development lifecycle....
Bitbucket
Git repository management for teams, with strong Jira integration....
Perforce Helix Core
A version control system for large teams and large files....
Apache Subversion (SVN)
A popular open-source centralized version control system....
Azure DevOps Server
A self-hosted suite of DevOps tools, including version control....