If Git had a nemesis, it’d be large files.
Large files bloat Git’s storage, slow down git clone , and wreak havoc on Git forges.
In 2015, GitHub released Git LFS—a Git extension that hacked around problems with large files. But Git LFS added new complications and storage costs.
Meanwhile, the Git project has been quietly working on large files. And while LFS ain’t dead yet, the latest Git release shows the path towards a future where LFS is, finally, obsolete.
What you can do today: replace Git LFS with Git partial clone
Git LFS works by storing large files outside your repo.
When you clone a project via LFS, you get the repo’s history and small files, but skip large files. Instead, Git LFS downloads only the large files you need for your working copy.
In 2017, the Git project introduced partial clones that provide the same benefits as Git LFS:
Partial clone allows us to avoid downloading [large binary assets] in advance during clone and fetch operations and thereby reduce download times and disk usage. – Partial Clone Design Notes, git-scm.com
Git’s partial clone and LFS both make for:
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