Git is the most popular version control system today. Working with it on a base level is easy if you prefer the terminal. Using Sublime Merge, you can do the same on a GUI.
But what’s the deal when you are more of a visual person? If you like to use an application rather than your console you also have a bunch of option.
As you guessed, I’m that one who likes to use a Git GUI to make my commits. So I searched for the perfect one – for me – and tried a lot. In this small article, I will share my experience with you!
Bazar is a powerful "headless" e-commerce system. Built on Laravel and Vue.
Why Use a Git GUI?
I think it is essential to understand the basics of Git CLI and Git in overall. If you want to use it confidently, you need to know how to make a commit, how to create a branch, how to add a remote. To learn all of the basics your best chance if you learn and experiment with the CLI.
A GUI is comfortable and fast to use for me.
Other Git Clients
I recently switched from GitTower. I liked it, but I’m sure that it is a better application on mac. Started as an early user, with the beta. Today the app is way better than it was and run quite well.
The biggest bottleneck for me was the performance. Although it was built as a native app, sometimes you can’t feel it. It has a lot of integration and useful tool which makes your life easier.
I also tried SourceTree and GitKraken. Both of them has its features and quirks. I don’t wish to make a compersion because every need differs. If you want to choose yourself the best, I think you should try at least two or three.
Sublime Merge, the New Kid
I’m sure that you know Sublime Text, this was the editor that changed the game for a lot of us. It is fast, reliable, customizable. The Sublime Merge is the same just in a version control application. It was released back in last year (2018) from nowhere.
For me, Sublime Text is the ultimate coding IDE. I used Visual Studio for a long time, but currently, I use Sublime again. The Merge and Text are integrated well with each other.
For the full feature list, please visit the official website.
The UI and Functions
If you code in Text, you will now always see what you have to commit, and you can easily open the Sublime Merge.
The UI is usable and straightforward. If you are a subscribed user, you can switch to a dark theme. We have a lot of shortcut like the edit .gitignore menu item. As in Text, we can navigate just from the keyboard. The interface is something that won’t frighten away anybody.
A great feature that you can always see the sent command when you do something. Everything in place.
The Performance
The performance is the point where this client is unbeatable. It is blazingly, fast, and reliable. If you forgot to exclude the node_modules folder with 10000+ files this GUI doesn’t make a problem about it.
You can do your task in a blink, search through your commits, reverse your last commit, and so on.
It uses the real Git on your device and does this well on Windows too. For me, after the other application, this was a shock.
The Price
Nowadays, the yearly subscription model is widely popular, and it is understandable in some cases like if you are a business. The Sublime Merge for individuals is $99 (USD) with three years of update; for businesses $75/user/year. It is an attention that I can appreciate.
You can download and use it for free, but you should buy it if you use it regularly. It will worth that price well!
