What is Git LFS (Large File Storage)? How is it used in GitHub?

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Ravi Vishwakarma · Answer

What is Git LFS (Large File Storage)?

Git LFS (Large File Storage) is an extension for Git that helps manage large files efficiently inside Git repositories.

Normally, Git is optimized for:

Source code
Text files
Small assets

But Git performs poorly with large binary files such as:

Videos
ZIP files
PSD files
Machine learning models
Game assets
Large datasets

This is where Git LFS becomes useful.

Why Git Struggles with Large Files

Git stores the complete history of every file version.

For large binary files:

Repository size grows rapidly
Clone operations become slow
Fetch/pull performance degrades
Storage usage increases significantly

Example:

video.mp4 → 500 MB
10 versions → 5 GB history

Git downloads all versions when cloning.

What Git LFS Does

Git LFS replaces large files in Git with lightweight pointer files.
Actual large files are stored separately on a remote LFS server.

Instead of storing:

movie.mp4 (500 MB)

Git stores:

Pointer file

Example pointer:

version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
oid sha256:abcd1234...
size 524288000

The real file is downloaded only when needed.

How Git LFS Works

Without Git LFS

Git Repo
 ├── video.mp4 (500 MB)
 ├── model.bin (2 GB)
 └── assets.psd

Repository becomes huge.

With Git LFS

Git Repo
 ├── video.mp4 (pointer file)
 ├── model.bin (pointer file)
 └── assets.psd (pointer file)

LFS Storage Server
 ├── actual video.mp4
 ├── actual model.bin
 └── actual assets.psd

Benefits of Git LFS

Smaller Repository Size

Git repository stays lightweight.

Faster Cloning

Only required large files are downloaded.

Better Performance

Improves push/pull operations.

Easier Collaboration

Teams can work efficiently with media assets.

Common Use Cases

Git LFS is widely used for:

Game development
AI/ML models
Large datasets
Video editing projects
Design assets
Audio production
CAD files

How to Install Git LFS

Official website:

Git LFS Official Website

macOS

brew install git-lfs

Windows

git lfs install

(After downloading installer)

Linux

sudo apt install git-lfs

Initialize Git LFS

Inside repository:

git lfs install

This enables Git LFS support.

Track Large Files

Example:

git lfs track "*.psd"

Track videos:

git lfs track "*.mp4"

Track ML models:

git lfs track "*.bin"

This creates:

.gitattributes

Example:

*.mp4 filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text

Add and Commit Files

git add .
git commit -m "Add large assets"
git push

Git uploads:

Pointer files to Git repository
Actual files to LFS storage

How GitHub Uses Git LFS

GitHub provides built-in support for Git LFS.

When you push LFS files:

GitHub stores pointers in Git repo
Large binaries are stored in GitHub LFS storage

Example Workflow in GitHub

Step 1

Install Git LFS:

git lfs install

Step 2

Track file types:

git lfs track "*.zip"

Step 3

Commit changes:

git add .gitattributes
git add largefile.zip
git commit -m "Add large ZIP"

Step 4

Push to GitHub:

git push origin main

GitHub automatically uploads LFS objects.

Viewing LFS Files on GitHub

In a GitHub repository:

Large files show an LFS badge.

Example:

Stored with Git LFS

Git LFS Storage Limits on GitHub

GitHub provides limited free storage and bandwidth for LFS.

Current limits may vary, but generally:

Storage quota
Monthly bandwidth quota

Official pricing/details:

GitHub LFS Billing Documentation

Git LFS Commands

List tracked files

git lfs ls-files

Fetch LFS files

git lfs fetch

Pull actual LFS content

git lfs pull

Clone repository with LFS

git clone <repo-url>

Git automatically downloads required LFS objects.

Important Notes

Git LFS is NOT a Replacement for Cloud Storage

Avoid storing:

Database backups
Massive archives
Frequently changing huge binaries

Better options:

S3
Azure Blob Storage
Google Cloud Storage

Best Practices

Track Only Necessary Files

Avoid excessive LFS usage.

Use `.gitignore`

Prevent accidental uploads.

Avoid Huge Histories

Large frequently changing binaries can still increase costs.

Use Releases for Big Downloads

For distributable binaries, GitHub Releases may be better.

Git LFS vs Normal Git Storage

Feature	Git	Git LFS
Large File Handling	Poor	Excellent
Repository Size	Grows Fast	Optimized
Clone Speed	Slow	Faster
Binary File Support	Limited	Designed For It
Storage Model	Inside Repo	External Storage

When Should You Use Git LFS?

Use Git LFS if your repository contains:

Files larger than 50–100 MB
Binary assets
AI models
Design files
Multimedia assets

Final Thoughts

Git LFS solves one of the biggest limitations of Git by handling large binary files efficiently.

It is especially useful for:

AI projects
Game development
Media-heavy applications
Design teams
Data science workflows

Combined with GitHub, Git LFS provides a scalable workflow for managing large assets while keeping repositories fast and manageable.

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