Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Synn, the modern, faster alternative for exploring GitHub repositories.
What makes Synn a faster GitHub client?
Synn offloads the heavy lifting of repository visualization and file exploration to your browser using technologies like Cytoscape.js and React. By leveraging aggressive caching, efficient API proxies, and local state management, Synn provides instant navigation between branches and commits without full page reloads, making it significantly faster than the native GitHub web interface for deep exploration.
Do I need to clone the repository to use Synn?
No. Synn works entirely in the cloud. It securely proxies requests to GitHub's infrastructure on your behalf, allowing you to instantly visualize and search through any repository (public or private) as if it were cloned locally, without consuming disk space or setup time.
Is Synn safe to use with my private GitHub repositories?
Yes. Synn uses enterprise-grade security. Authentication is handled via Clerk and standard GitHub OAuth. Your source code is never permanently stored on our servers; we act as a secure, ephemeral proxy. We also employ RSA/AES hybrid encryption for sensitive metadata and activity logs.
How does the Git graph visualization work?
Synn maps complex Git commit histories—including merge commits, branch offshoots, and tags—using an interactive, zoomable Cytoscape.js graph. This allows you to understand the architectural flow of a project at a glance, making it an essential tool for onboarding and code reviews.
Can I share my visualizations with my team?
Absolutely. A core feature of Synn is the ability to generate shareable links for specific commit graphs, branches, or diff views. This 'viral' shareability makes it perfect for documenting architecture decisions, resolving merge conflicts collaboratively, or just showing off clean git histories.