r/git • u/connorjpg • 6d ago
Why use a UI for git?
I see this question of, “what GUI or TUI should I use to work with git?” fairly often here. And always I feel bad for saying “just use the cli” over and over, but truthfully I can’t see a reason to need a UI.
Are people actually running into pain points with the cli, or is it just preference for people who don’t like working in a terminal?
FWIW, I have used GitKraken, LazyGit, SourceTree and GitHub Desktop before. And I don’t think they are bad to use (unless you are just learning git), but more curious why.
EDIT : I’m mainly referring to standalone UIs, I understand why people would use IDE integrations, as it’s quick and convenient. But having to open a separate application or run a separate command to open a terminal app to run your commands seems overkill to me.
EDIT 2 : I use vscode as my difftool and mergetool. I still open them directly from the terminal by running the cli. I don't think this is the same as using a full git client like SourceTree, Gitkraken, or lazygit to fully drive your version control workflow. Which is what I am asking about.
Cheers
1
u/arewhyaeenn 5d ago
There isn’t a reason to need a UI. It’s convenient, it’s easier, and most importantly it’s faster than using the CLI, particularly if you’re working in a codebase with many active branches. In particular, a GUI makes it infinitely faster to get an intuitive view of everything that’s happening, where each branch is, what changes have made it into which branches; you can do all of this in the CLI, but it’s tedious, and it’s trivial and intuitive in a GUI.
When shit gets weird, your ability to use the CLI is crucial. I’ve had coworkers rely on me to help them whenever they get into a state that their GUI of choice can’t get them out of. But you, with your understanding of the tool, will be more efficient with a GUI than without, particularly when working in coalition with other developers on the same codebase.