Understanding Subversion authentication mode settings

Applies to: VisualSVN Server 5.0 and later

VisualSVN Server supports Subversion and Windows authentication modes. This article describes VisualSVN Server settings related to the Subversion authentication mode. These settings can be found on the Authentication tab in the VisualSVN Server Properties dialog.

To learn more about Subversion and Windows authentication modes and the differences between them, see the KB182: VisualSVN Server authentication modes article. It also provides instructions on how to change the authentication mode.

Password policy

When using Subversion authentication mode, it is recommended to use a strong password policy. The following settings allow you to enforce password policy requirements.

Minimum password length

The Minimum password length option specifies the minimum number of characters that must be in a password. It can be set to any number greater than zero. The default minimum password length is 8.

Require complex passwords

When the Require complex passwords checkbox is selected, passwords must contain characters from at least three of the following categories:

  • Uppercase letters (A through Z).
  • Lowercase letters (a through z).
  • Digits (0 through 9).
  • Special characters (~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/).
Note
Passwords in VisualSVN Server can only contain ASCII characters. This prevents errors that can occur during basic HTTP authentication, where the encoding of non-ASCII characters varies between different clients.

For details on how this password policy is enforced, see the article KB179: Understanding the password policy for Subversion authentication.

Allow users to change their passwords in web interface

The Allow users to change their passwords in web interface check box allows or disallows users to change their passwords in the web interface. When the checkbox is selected, the corresponding option becomes available in the Account menu in the web interface.

Changing password in Web UI

See also

KB179: Understanding the password policy for Subversion authentication

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