? Git Large File Storage (LFS)

? Quick Overview

Git Large File Storage (LFS) is an extension for Git that improves performance when working with large binary files by storing them outside the main repository and keeping lightweight pointers inside Git.

? Key Concepts

• Large files are replaced with pointer files
• Actual data is stored on a remote LFS server
• Git history remains fast and lightweight

? What is Git LFS?

Git LFS replaces large files in your repository with text pointers, while storing the real content remotely. This prevents repository bloat and keeps Git operations fast.

⚙️ Why Use Git LFS?

• Efficient handling of large binaries
• Faster clone and checkout operations
• Better collaboration on media-heavy projects

? How Git LFS Works

Instead of storing large binaries directly, Git LFS tracks pointer files. When needed, Git LFS downloads the real files from the server automatically.

?️ Setup & Usage

Step 1: Install Git LFS

# Install Git LFS using system package managers
brew install git-lfs
choco install git-lfs
sudo apt-get install git-lfs

# Enable Git LFS for the current user
git lfs install

Step 2: Track Large Files

# Track all MP4 video files using Git LFS
git lfs track "*.mp4"

Step 3: Add and Commit

# Add LFS configuration and large file
git add .gitattributes
git add large-file.mp4
git commit -m "Add large files using Git LFS"

Step 4: Push to Remote

# Push commits and upload large files to LFS server
git push origin main

? Managing Large Files

# List all files currently tracked by Git LFS
git lfs ls-files

# Stop tracking files with Git LFS
git lfs untrack "*.mp4"

# Download large files from the LFS server
git lfs fetch

? Use Cases

• Game development assets
• Video and audio projects
• Machine learning datasets