GitKraken vs Visual Studio Code: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between GitKraken and Visual Studio Code.

1. Integration with Version Control: GitKraken is primarily a visual Git client that provides an intuitive interface for performing Git operations. While it offers some basic code editing capabilities, its main focus is on helping developers manage their Git repositories efficiently. On the other hand, Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a full-fledged code editor that supports multiple programming languages and comes with built-in Git integration, allowing seamless version control within the IDE.

2. Code Editing Features: GitKraken offers basic code editing functionalities, including syntax highlighting and code search, but it lacks the advanced features found in IDEs like VS Code. Visual Studio Code provides a rich set of features like IntelliSense (code completion), debugging capabilities, extensions marketplace, and integrated terminal, making it a powerful code editor for developers.

3. Project Management: GitKraken focuses on providing a streamlined experience for Git-related operations, making it easy to visualize and manage Git repositories. It allows users to create branches, review diffs, and resolve merge conflicts visually. In comparison, Visual Studio Code offers features beyond version control, such as project scaffolding, task automation, and extensive workspace management tools, making it a comprehensive development environment.

4. Extensions and Customization: Visual Studio Code has a vast ecosystem of extensions available through its marketplace, ranging from language support to linters, debuggers, and other developer tools. This extensive library allows developers to customize and extend the editor's functionality according to their needs. GitKraken, while providing some customization options, doesn't have as extensive an extensions marketplace as VS Code.

5. Supported Languages: GitKraken is primarily focused on providing Git functionality and is not specifically designed for any particular programming language. It supports any language that can be managed with Git. On the other hand, Visual Studio Code supports a wide range of programming languages out of the box, with built-in language support, code snippets, and syntax highlighting, making it versatile for different development projects.

6. User Interface: GitKraken offers a visually appealing, streamlined interface with drag-and-drop functionality for performing Git operations. It provides a visual representation of branches, commits, and merge conflicts, making it easier for users to understand and manage their repositories. Visual Studio Code also has a user-friendly interface but is more focused on providing a feature-rich code editing experience, with customizable layouts and a wide range of user interface customization options.

In Summary, GitKraken is primarily a Git client with a strong focus on visualizing and managing Git repositories, while Visual Studio Code is a powerful code editor with built-in Git functionality and support for multiple programming languages.