SourceTree is a free client for Git that allows us to work with our code repositories in a simple way.
In the world of development, it is common to work with a source code repository to provide version control and facilitate collaborative work.
Currently, the most widely used version control system is Git. It is integrated into most IDEs, and there are many clients that allow us to manage our repositories.
Among all these clients, my favorite and undoubtedly one of the most popular is SourceTree from Atlassian. In my opinion, it is the best designed and the one that works best.
Undoubtedly, the biggest attraction of SourceTree is its powerful graphical interface. It is intuitive and easy to use, while also providing all the commands available in Git, even the most advanced ones.
To download and install SourceTree, visit the project’s website https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/. It is free and available for Windows and Mac.
SourceTree allows access to different version control platforms, such as Git, Mercurial, and Subversion. To access them, we must configure our user accounts.
To do this, we go to “Options” and select the “Authentication” section. There we can add the access credentials to the different version control platforms that are being used.
Now we can clone a repository by selecting the “Clone/New” option from the “File” menu. We enter the URL of the remote repository, the local folder, and that’s it! It’s that simple.
In addition, SourceTree integrates with the file explorer, so to open a repository, we just have to right-click on the folder and choose “Open with SourceTree.”
Once we have our repository ready, whether it’s local or cloned, we can make changes to the code, stage files, create branches, make commits, and all the actions that we could normally do in source code control.
Personally, what I normally do is source code control from the IDE (Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, etc) for “daily” tasks, such as making commits, fetching, and syncing.
But, I have SourceTree installed for the more “complicated” actions, which are really very inconvenient to do from the IDE.
SourceTree allows you to have absolute control of your repository, even for the most complex actions, all in an easy and comfortable visual environment.
The only negative point is that it is not Open Source. But, if this is not a problem for you, SourceTree is probably the best available client for managing your source code control.