Subversion repository data is wholly contained within the repository directory. As such, you can move a Subversion repository to some other location on disk, rename a repository, copy a repository, or delete a repository altogether using the tools provided by your operating system for manipulating directories—mv, cp -a, and rm -r on Unix platforms; copy, move, and rmdir /s /q on Windows; vast numbers of mouse and menu gyrations in various graphical file explorer applications, and so on.

Of course, there's often still more to be done when trying to cleanly affect changes such as this. For example, you might need to update your Subversion server configuration to point to the new location of a relocated repository or to remove configuration bits for a now-deleted repository. If you have automated processes that publish information from or about your repositories, they may need to be updated. Hook scripts might need to be reconfigured. Users may need to be notified. The list can go on indefinitely, or at least to the extent that you've built processes and procedures around your Subversion repository.

In the case of a copied repository, you should also consider the fact that Subversion uses repository UUIDs to distinguish repositories. If you copy a Subversion repository using a typical shell recursive copy command, you'll wind up with two repositories that are identical in every way—including their UUIDs. In some circumstances, this might be desirable. But in the instances where it is not, you'll need to generate a new UUID for one of these identical repositories. See the section called “Managing Repository UUIDs” for more about managing repository UUIDs.