Git GUI vs command line: why not both?
The CLI is precise, scriptable, and universal. It's also invisible — you operate on state you can't see. Interactive Git Log adds the missing picture without taking the terminal away.
What the command line gets right
Let's not pretend otherwise: the Git CLI is the source of truth. It's scriptable, it works on every machine you'll ever SSH into, it exposes every feature Git has, and knowing it makes you employable anywhere. No GUI replaces that, and IGL doesn't try.
What it gets wrong: you can't see anything
The CLI's weakness isn't power — it's that every command operates on invisible state. You run git status, build a mental picture, run a command, and run git status again to check what happened. Studies of developer workflows keep finding the same thing: most Git confusion isn't about concepts, it's about not knowing what state the repo is in.
That gap is widest during an interactive rebase: a todo file edited in one buffer, conflicts arriving in unpredictable waves, and git status as your only progress bar. It's exactly where IGL's stack editor and conflict checklist remove the most pain.
Side by side
| Aspect | Interactive Git Log | Command line |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing repo state | Always on screen, live | Poll with status / log |
| Interactive rebase | Visual stack editor | Todo file in a text editor |
| Conflict progress | Checklist with marks | Re-run git status |
| Scripting & automation | — | Unmatched |
| Works over bare SSH | Needs VS Code | Everywhere |
| Shows you the commands it runs | ✓ Every operation | You typed them |
A GUI that teaches the CLI
The usual objection to Git GUIs is that they create dependence: click buttons long enough and you forget the commands. IGL inverts that. Because it prints the exact arguments of every command it runs, it works like an expert narrating their terminal: you click "rebase" and see precisely what that means in Git's vocabulary. Keep the terminal open next to it. Use whichever is faster for the moment. They're reading the same repository.
Frequently asked questions
Will using a GUI make me worse at Git?
Only if the GUI hides what it does. IGL displays the exact Git command and arguments for every operation, so you see more real Git usage, not less — many users learn CLI flags from IGL's output.
Can I mix IGL and terminal commands?
Freely. IGL reads your repository's real state, so commits or rebases you run in the terminal show up in the tree immediately, and operations IGL starts can be continued or aborted from the CLI.
Does IGL hide what it's doing?
The opposite — transparency is a core design decision. Progress, errors, and the literal command arguments appear at the bottom of the screen during every operation.