Dependinator

Dependinator visualizes the structure and dependencies of your C#/.NET codebase as an interactive, navigable map, making complex architectures easier to understand, analyze, and refactor — without leaving VS Code.

⚠️ Beta — Dependinator is under active development and published as an early preview for a small group of testers. Expect rough edges, missing features, and breaking changes between versions. It is not yet a finished product.

Features

• Interactive dependency map — explore your codebase as a zoomable, navigable diagram instead of scrolling through files.
• Drill down and back up — open nodes to see their internals (namespaces, types, members) and follow dependencies between components.
• Jump to code — navigate from a node or dependency straight to the corresponding source location in the editor.
• Automatic refresh — the map updates automatically when you change source files (configurable).
• Manual editing — add your own nodes and links (drag from a node to create a link), delete manual links, and start from an empty model to sketch an architecture by hand.
• Multiple models — create, switch between, and delete models from the app menu.
• Icon library — pick icons for nodes, including curated Azure, AWS, and Google cloud-service icons.
• Export as image — save the current diagram as an image.
• Runs inside VS Code — opens in an editor tab; no separate app to launch.
• Optional device sync — enable device sync to keep your models updated on all your devices, and view them anywhere in the companion web app at dependinator.com.

Requirements

• A workspace containing a .NET solution (.sln) with C# projects — Dependinator parses the solution to build the dependency map.
• No local dotnet installation is needed; the extension bundles a self-contained language server.

Getting started

1. Install the extension and open a folder containing a .sln file.
2. Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run Dependinator: Open, or click the Dependinator icon in the editor title bar.
3. The dependency map opens in a new tab. Click nodes to drill in, and drag / zoom to navigate.

Need more guidance? Click the Help button in the Dependinator app bar — it opens a page with detailed usage instructions, navigation tips, and keyboard/mouse controls.

Commands

Settings

Device sync and the web app

Device sync is optional. When you enable it (from the Dependinator app bar), your models and customized views are kept updated on all devices that have sync enabled. Without signing in, everything works locally.

The companion web app at dependinator.com lets you view your models outside VS Code — in a desktop or mobile browser, wherever you are. Enable device sync with the same account in both the extension and the web app, and the models you create in VS Code are there too. Editing in the web app works as well, though viewing is its primary use case; parsing code and creating/editing models is what the extension is for.

Feedback & issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue at https://github.com/michael-reichenauer/Dependinator/issues

Links

• Web app (view your models anywhere): https://dependinator.com
• Repository: https://github.com/michael-reichenauer/Dependinator
• Contributing / building the extension: see DEVELOPMENT.md

License

MIT — see LICENSE.