GitHub Desktop is an open-source, Electron-based application that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for Git and GitHub. It allows developers to perform common version control tasks like staging changes, committing, branching, merging, and syncing with remote repositories without using the command line.
While GitHub offers official builds for macOS and Windows, Linux users were originally left to use the command line or third-party Git clients. Because GitHub Desktop is open source , a developer named began maintaining a fork that specifically supports Linux.
sudo apt remove github-desktop
| Git GUI Client | License | Key Features | Install on Debian/Ubuntu | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Freemium (Paid Pro) | Visual commit graph, drag-and-drop, integrations with Jira/Trello | wget https://release.gitkraken.com/linux/gitkraken-amd64.deb and sudo apt install ./gitkraken-amd64.deb | | Gitg | Open Source (GPL-2.0) | Simple and clean interface, commit graphing, history browsing | sudo apt install gitg | | Git Cola | Open Source (GPL-2.0) | Very easy to use with advanced features, DAG visualization | sudo apt install git-cola | | Sublime Merge | Shareware (evaluation) | Side-by-side diffs, three-way merge tool, syntax highlighting | Download .deb from the official website | | SmartGit | Freemium (non-commercial free) | Advanced merge, commit, and push features; GitHub integration | Download .deb from the official website | | GitAhead | Open Source | Fast repository visualization, built-in file editor | .deb package available from official releases | | GitEye | Freeware | Simple interface, task-focused workflow, integration with GitLab and GitHub | Download the installer from the official website | github desktop deb free
This usually happens if you are mixing sudo with snap or flatpak versions previously installed.
GitHub Desktop uses your system’s credential manager to store tokens.
GitHub Desktop is one of the most intuitive Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for managing Git repositories, providing a visual approach to cloning, branching, committing, and pushing code. While officially supported on Windows and macOS, many Linux users want to know how to get for Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, and Debian itself. Because GitHub Desktop is open source , a
If you encounter dependency errors, run:
sudo apt install gnome-keyring
Could you tell me a little more about your current setup so I can better help you? GitHub Desktop is one of the most intuitive
Once the installation finishes, you can find the application in your system menu by searching for "GitHub Desktop."
If, after all this, you decide GitHub Desktop is not for you, here are other fantastic Git clients that provide native .deb packages.
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