PHP Deployment to Live Server

Question

I am new to this, I just reading about how I should not edit code on the live production server. I don't know anything about source control or SVN.

I would like to start coding on a test server then once everything is confirmed working, I want to send all the files over to the production server.

How should I go about this? I am on mac os x and was looking into apps like http://versionsapp.com/ but I am not sure if this is the right solution.

What do you suggest?

Answer 1

If you are new to web development, I wouldn't suggest jumping into Subversion right away. You should have a firm grasp on Subversion before actually using it in any production environment, as its surprisingly easy to screw things up. Don't let that scare you off, though, as version management (whether through SVN or another avenue) is highly useful.

And if the project in question is small enough, I don't see anything wrong with the old "develop locally then ftp it to the server" approach. Sometimes a full-blown version management tool just isn't necessary.