Git LFS is a command line extension and specification for managing large files with Git. Instead of storing the large files within the Git repository as blobs, Git LFS stores special “pointer files” in the repository, while storing the actual file contents on a Git LFS server. The contents of the large file are downloaded automatically when needed, for example when a Git branch containing the large file is checked out.
Git LFS works by using a “smudge” filter to look up the large file contents based on the pointer file, and a “clean” filter to create a new version of the pointer file when the large file’s contents change. It also uses a pre-push hook to upload the large file contents to the Git LFS server whenever a commit containing a new large file version is about to be pushed to the corresponding Git server.
Git Large File Storage (LFS) replaces large files such as audio samples, videos, datasets, and graphics with text pointers inside Git, while storing the file contents on a remote server like GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Large file versioning – version large files—even those as large as a couple GB in size—with Git.
- More repository space.
- Faster cloning and fetching – download less data. This means faster cloning and fetching from repositories that deal with large files.
- Same Git workflow – work like you always do on Git—no need for additional commands, secondary storage systems, or toolsets.
- Same access controls and permissions – keep the same access controls and permissions for large files as the rest of your Git repository when working with a remote host like GitHub.
Website: git-lfs.com
Support: Documentation, GitHub Code Repository
Developer: Brian M. Carlson, Chris Darroch, Lars Schneider and many contributors
License: MIT License
git-lfs is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Git Storage and Security Tools | |
|---|---|
| git-lfs | Git extension for versioning large files |
| Jujutsu | Powerful version control system for software projects |
| git-bug | Distributed offline-first bug tracker |
| Dash | Rich terminal UI for GitHub |
| git-secrets | Prevent adding secrets into git repositories |
| Commitizen | Create well-structured Git commit messages |
| git-repair | Repair various forms of damage to git repositories |
| git-secret | Bash tool which stores private data inside a git repo |
| git-annex | Manage files with git without checking the file contents into git |
| gitmoji-cli | Use gitmojis in Git commit messages |
| ghq | Organise local clones of remote repositories |
| git-crypt | Transparent file encryption in git |
| gita | Manage multiple git repos |
| git-chglog | CHANGELOG generator implemented in Go |
| cz-git | Commitizen adapter and command-line tool |
| gitpane | Multi-repo Git workspace dashboard |
| git-trim | Keep Git working directories clear of stale local branches |
| gfold | Keep track of multiple Git repositories |
| Garden | Command runner and multi-repo Git configuration tool |
| mani | Manage collections of Git repositories |
| GitSocial | Git-native cross-forge collaboration |
| git-fresh | Refresh Git working copies from the terminal |
| Forge Sparks | Get Git forges notifications |
| gohome | Git standup and activity reporting CLI |
| git-appraise | Distributed code review system for Git repositories |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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