gitk:tldr:d3661

The command gitk is used to launch the Git repository browser, which provides a graphical interface to visualize and examine the history of a Git repository.

When you run gitk in your terminal, it opens a separate window displaying a graphical representation of all the commits in your branch. The commits are shown as a tree, with the most recent commit at the top and the older commits branching down beneath it.

In the gitk window, you can click on a commit to view its details, including the commit message, author, date, and the changes made in that commit. You can also compare different versions of files, view the commit diffs, and even perform basic Git operations like branching, merging, and tagging, directly from the gitk interface.

gitk provides a convenient way to visualize and navigate the commit history, making it easier to understand the development and changes in your Git repository. It is particularly useful when you want to review the repository's history, analyze branches, identify merges, and track the progress of different commits.