Branch Compare
Compare Git branches inside VS Code with a dashboard focused on day-to-day review work.
Install
VS Code UI
- Open Extensions (
Ctrl + Shift + X)
- Search Branch Compare
- Click Install
CLI
code --install-extension codexdebayan.branch-compare
What It Does
Branch Compare helps you pick a base branch, then see how every other branch differs from it without leaving VS Code.
How To Open
Open the dashboard in either of these ways:
- Command Palette: run
Branch Compare: Open Dashboard
- Keyboard shortcut: Windows / Linux
Ctrl+Alt+B, macOS Cmd+Alt+B
The command is available when a folder or workspace is open in VS Code.
User Guide
- Open a Git repository in VS Code.
- Launch
Branch Compare: Open Dashboard.
- Choose the base branch you want to compare against.
- Browse the branch list to see ahead/behind status and latest commit details.
- Select a branch to open the detailed comparison view.
- Use the built-in diff actions to inspect changed files between branches or commits.
Features
- Compare all local branches against one selected base branch
- View ahead/behind counts for each branch
- See latest commit author, message, and timestamp at a glance
- Search and sort branches to find work quickly
- Open a detailed comparison view with summary, commits, and changed files
- Launch VS Code diff views for branch-to-branch file comparisons
- Drill into commit-level file changes from the dashboard
Screenshots
Below are screenshots of the Branch Compare extension in action:
Dashboard View
Branch Comparison View
Notes
Notes:
- Git must be installed and available on your system
PATH.
- Diff views are opened inside VS Code using temporary snapshots prepared by the extension.
| |
