git-annex manages files using Git without storing their contents directly in normal Git history. It separates file metadata from the underlying data, making it suitable for collections that are too large or impractical to manage using Git alone.
The software can track content distributed across multiple computers, external drives and remote storage services. A repository can record information about files even when their actual contents are unavailable locally, allowing users to retrieve data only when needed.
Unlike simple large-file extensions, git-annex places considerable emphasis on managing multiple copies of data and avoiding accidental loss. This makes it useful for research datasets, multimedia archives, backups and collections spread across several storage devices.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Manage large files without committing their contents to ordinary Git history.
- Track file locations across multiple repositories and storage devices.
- Retrieve missing content from remote repositories using git annex get.
- Copy and move file contents between repositories and supported storage services.
- Support for local disks, SSH servers, external drives and numerous special remote backends.
- Record which repositories contain individual file contents using location logs.
- Display available file locations with git annex whereis.
- Configure desired and minimum copy counts to reduce accidental data loss.
- Check whether sufficient copies exist before dropping local file content.
- Preferred content expressions for deciding which files should be stored locally.
- Automatic synchronisation and assisted workflows for distributing data.
- Content integrity checks using cryptographic hashes.
- Support for repositories that are temporarily offline or disconnected.
- Parallel file transfers between supported repositories and remotes.
- Operate alongside ordinary Git-tracked files in the same repository.
Website: git-annex.branchable.com
Support:
Developer: Joey Hess
License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
git-annex is written in Haskell. Learn Haskell with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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