Git LFS

Git extension that replaces large files with text pointers while storing the actual files on a remote server. Enables version control of large assets while maintaining normal Git workflows and keeping repository sizes manageable.

Use it when

• •Managing large datasets, models, or media files in Git repositories
• •Maintaining Git workflow familiarity while handling files over 100MB
• •Version controlling binary assets like images, videos, or trained models
• •Collaborating on projects with mixed small code and large data files
• •Working with existing Git infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines
• •Need simple large file storage without complex data pipeline features
• •Teams already invested in Git-based workflows and tooling
• •Projects with modest storage requirements fitting within budget constraints

Watch out

• ⚠High storage costs beyond free tier (1GB/month free on GitHub)
• ⚠Irreversible implementation - requires history rewrite to add/remove LFS
• ⚠All collaborators must install Git LFS or receive metadata files instead
• ⚠Performance issues during clone/pull operations with large repositories
• ⚠All file revisions count toward storage limits, costs accumulate quickly
• ⚠Limited customization options, locked into provider's storage pricing
• ⚠Bandwidth costs for every push/pull/clone operation by team members
• ⚠Cross-platform compatibility issues when switching hosting providers

Available in stages

Installation

Example stacks