CodeGlance

From Code to Clarity: Understand any GitHub repository in minutes.

CodeGlance is a tool that transforms GitHub repositories into intuitive, visual interfaces to help developers quickly understand unfamiliar codebases. Users paste a GitHub repository URL and get a user-friendly exploration interface.

The Idea Behind CodeGlance

The core idea is to significantly reduce the time and effort developers spend trying to understand a new codebase. Instead of manually cloning repositories and piecing together the architecture, CodeGlance provides a high-level, interactive, and AI-powered overview. It's designed to feel like having an experienced team member guiding you through the code.

Key Features

Quick Wins (Low Effort)

These are features that can be implemented quickly to provide immediate value.

• Basic Visual Directory Tree: A simple, interactive tree structure of the repository's files and folders.
• Basic Project Overview Card: A card that displays the project's name and a concise, AI-generated summary of its purpose.

Medium Efforts

These features provide significant value and require a moderate amount of work to implement.

• Full Visual Directory Tree: The complete visual directory tree with all features, including:
  • Proper indentation, folder icons, and file type icons.
  • Hover functionality that shows an AI-generated purpose of the file, a list of functions/classes, file size, programming language, and the number of imports/exports.
  • Color-coded files by type (e.g., components, configs, tests).
  • Special icons to highlight entry points like index.js or main.py.
• Full Project Overview Card: The complete project overview card with all features, including:
  • An AI-generated explanation of the project's purpose.
  • The detected technology stack.
  • "How to run" commands extracted from the README.
  • The main entry point and folder structure type.
• Smart Search Functionality: A search bar that allows users to:
  • Search by purpose (e.g., "authentication," "database").
  • Search by file and function name with autocomplete.
  • Filter search results by file type.

WOW Factors (High Effort)

These are the game-changing features that will make CodeGlance an indispensable tool for developers.

• File Quick View Panel: A detailed panel that appears when a user clicks on a file, showing:
  • A list of functions with AI-generated descriptions.
  • The file's dependencies and dependents.
  • A complexity indicator (Simple/Medium/Complex).
  • Key variables and constants.
• Code Flow Visualizer: A visual flowchart that maps out the project's architecture, including:
  • The starting point of the application.
  • Major components and modules.
  • Connections and data flow between different parts of the codebase.
• AI Explainer Sidebar: A context-aware sidebar that can:
  • Explain the purpose and functionality of a file.
  • Show how a file connects to other parts of the codebase.
  • Suggest where to look next for guided exploration.
  • Identify and explain design patterns used in the code.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 15, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4
• Backend: Next.js API Routes
• AI: Gemini API
• Platform: Vercel

Getting Started

First, run the development server:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev
# or
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

Future Vision

The long-term goal is to make CodeGlance an indispensable tool for developers, enabling them to contribute to new projects faster and with more confidence. Future features may include real-time collaboration, integration with IDEs, and support for more programming languages and frameworks.