# Git Extensions — Full-Featured Git GUI for Windows and Linux

> An open-source graphical user interface for Git that runs on Windows and Linux. Git Extensions provides a visual commit history, interactive rebase, blame, stash management, and integrates as a shell extension and Visual Studio plugin.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Git Extensions — Full-Featured Git GUI for Windows and Linux

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install on Windows
choco install gitextensions
# or
winget install GitExtensionsTeam.GitExtensions

# Launch from command line
gitex browse
gitex commit
```

## Introduction
Git Extensions is a free, open-source standalone Git GUI and Visual Studio extension. It provides a comprehensive graphical interface for virtually every Git operation, from basic commits to advanced rebasing, submodule management, and bisect workflows.

## What Git Extensions Does
- Displays a full commit graph with branch labels, tags, and merge visualization
- Provides interactive staging with line-by-line and hunk-by-hunk selection
- Supports interactive rebase with drag-and-drop commit reordering
- Manages submodules, stashes, and worktrees through dedicated panels
- Integrates as a Windows shell extension and Visual Studio 2019/2022 plugin

## Architecture Overview
Git Extensions is written in C# targeting .NET and uses Windows Forms for the UI. It shells out to a standard Git installation for all operations, parsing the output for display. The architecture supports plugins for custom commands, hosting providers, and merge tools.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Download the installer from GitHub releases; includes a bundled Git if needed
- Runs on Windows natively and on Linux via Mono or .NET 6+
- Configure external diff and merge tools (WinMerge, KDiff3, VS Code) in settings
- Set up SSH keys and credential helpers from the built-in configuration dialogs
- Install optional plugins for GitHub, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket integration

## Key Features
- Visual commit graph with filtering by author, date, message, and file path
- Git blame view with age-colored annotations and click-through to parent commits
- Diff viewer with syntax highlighting and word-level change detection
- Script and custom command runner for automating repetitive Git workflows
- Portable mode for running from a USB drive without installation

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **GitHub Desktop** — simpler and more polished but fewer advanced features
- **Sourcetree** — Atlassian's free GUI; Git Extensions is fully open source
- **GitKraken** — commercial GUI with a sleek interface; Git Extensions is free for all use
- **Lazygit** — terminal-based; Git Extensions provides a full graphical experience
- **TortoiseGit** — Windows shell integration only; Git Extensions adds a standalone app and VS plugin

## FAQ
**Q: Does Git Extensions work on Linux?**
A: Yes. It runs on Linux using .NET 6+ or Mono, though the Windows experience is more polished.

**Q: Can I use it with Visual Studio?**
A: Yes. Git Extensions ships a Visual Studio extension for 2019 and 2022 that adds Git commands to the IDE toolbar and menus.

**Q: Is it compatible with Git LFS?**
A: Yes. Git Extensions works with any Git feature, including LFS, as it delegates to the underlying Git binary.

**Q: How do I perform an interactive rebase?**
A: Right-click a commit in the history graph and select "Rebase interactively." Drag commits to reorder, and use the context menu to squash, edit, or drop.

## Sources
- https://github.com/gitextensions/gitextensions
- https://gitextensions.github.io/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-66d3f4a4
Author: Script Depot