GitLens
GitLens is the most popular Git extension for Visual Studio Code, used by millions of developers to supercharge their Git workflow directly inside the editor. It provides rich visualisations, blame annotations, exploratory features, and in-editor code review tools, bringing context to every line of code by showing who last changed it, when, and what commit introduced the change — all without leaving your editor.
Key Features
- Inline blame annotations — See author, date, and commit message for every line of code, with colour-coded age indicators
- Code lens — Recent change information displayed above functions, classes, and methods showing authors and commit dates
- Interactive commit graph — Visual branch structure with filtering, search, and one-click checkout for any commit
- File history — Full revision history for any file with side-by-side comparison between versions
- Worktree management — Create, switch, and remove Git worktrees directly from VS Code
- PR integration — Visual pull request workflows for GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories
- Side-by-side comparison — Compare any two commits, branches, or tags with inline and split views
- Workspace changelogs — See every recent change across all open projects in one unified view
Why Use GitLens?
GitLens transforms VS Code into a powerful Git exploration tool. Instead of switching to the terminal or a separate Git GUI to understand project history, you get all the context inline, right where you’re writing code. It’s invaluable for code reviews, understanding legacy code, debugging tricky regressions, and maintaining large codebases.
Use Cases
- Understanding code history and ownership during debugging sessions
- Code review workflows entirely within VS Code without external tools
- Tracking down when and why specific changes were introduced
- Visualising branch structure in large monorepos with many contributors
- Onboarding to unfamiliar codebases by exploring commit history and authorship
Platform
VS Code extension — available on Linux · macOS · Windows
Licence
MIT Licence (core features) — open source. GitLens+ premium features require paid subscription