i use the terminal for branch/commit/merge but would be nice to see the changes between commits and branches visually. was recommended Git Lens but the visual stuff seems to require a paid Pro account. checking out Git Graph for a couple days but wondering if anyone has any strong opinions on the best tool for this

As for me, it is vscode-gitlens.

For the most of my time I was using mhutchie's awesome git-graph extension. However it's abandoned and the author doesn't seem to be online on GitHub anymore. For now it still works but more and more features break with no fixes in sight. Sadly forking the project and keeping it alive is not possible due to licence restrictions.

I am now wondering what alternatives exist. I tried GitLens which for me is a show stopper (no graph view for private repos), is super bloated and hard to use with all the collapsing sub menus. Next I tried git log --graph but it's not nearly as polished.

What do you guys use? Can anyone recommend a good extension to visualize the git history and adding basic features to the graph (i.e. cherry-pick, compare to working copy)? What's your favorites?

Hello, I just wanted a git GUI extension as I personally understand it more visually, and I would prefer it more integrated into VS Code

I recently made the switch from IntelliJ to VS Code for my daily development work. Overall, I’m enjoying the lightweight feel and the customizability, but there’s one thing that’s really bothering me: Git integration in VS Code feels really underwhelming.

I’ve tried the most popular Git extension — GitLens — but honestly, I’m not a fan. First, it’s paid (for key features), and second… it just doesn’t feel right to pay for something I expected to be more seamless or built-in.

So I wanted to ask the community:

➡️ How do you manage Git inside VS Code?

➡️ What extensions, tools, or workflows do you use that actually feel good?

➡️ Do you just use the built-in source control panel, or something else entirely?

Would love to hear how others handle this. I’m open to trying new extensions or even command-line-based workflows, as long as they’re efficient and developer-friendly.

Thanks!

For those using VSCode, do you rely on its built-in Git features, use the terminal, or prefer a separate Git GUI?

If you use a GUI, which one do you recommend and why?

From what I have searched me to, there is no VSCode extension to "install" Git is this correct?

And is it just me or why isn't there a Git portable'ish extension, so you can download and use git from within VCSode and like other extensions get git to work automatically when syncing VSCode on a new computer?

In many of these lists where people talk about VS Code extensions it feels like the tools are either gimmicky/ doesn't fit into daily work, or are paid services.

So I wonder if you guys have any tools that you enjoy in your daily work?

I can start and share Color Highlight which highlights colors in your documents, with their color. It's just simple and neat.

Really noob at programming I’m just starting out and I was wondering, since git/github can save drafts and you can go back to it incase you make a huge mistake, etc, is there an alternative for it in vscode ? Also are there github features that arent available in extensions ? If so pls lmk !

Edit : i cant respond to everyone but TYSM !

I've been using git for a long time on the terminal, and it's... fine. Not great. But fine.

I was aware there was git support built in to vscode but I had never clicked it. I just did, and I'm wondering if you guys think it's worth using, and how your experience with it is.

I've been using the Git Graph extension for a long time, and it's been my absolute favorite tool for visualizing commit history and managing branches directly inside VS Code.

However, it looks like the repository is no longer being actively maintained, and I'm worried about future compatibility and missing out on new features.

Does anyone have good recommendations for a replacement? I'm mainly looking for:

• A clean, easy-to-read visual graph of the commit history/branches.

• Ability to easily perform basic Git actions (checkout, merge, rebase, cherry-pick) from the UI.

• Actively maintained.

Thanks in advance!

Here are my personal vscode extension I am using in 2024 for free ( so it's personal )

1. Auto rename tag

2. Error Lens

3. Import Cost

4. Supermaven

5. ES7 React/Redux/React-Native Snippets

6. GraphQL

7. Tailwind CSS Intellicense

8. MDX

Here is the complete article on the it: https://www.gopal-adhikari.com.np/blogs/best-vs-code-extension-in-2024

Title.

GitLens constantly wants me to buy a Pro-license.

I would like to uninstall GitLens.

Which alternatives do you use? I am open to non-vscode tools, as long as they are not based on vim.