What is git LFS?

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{
  "path": "/blog/what-is-git-lfs",
  "attrs": {
    "title": "What is git LFS?",
    "splash": {
      "image": "/images/station-clouds.jpg"
    },
    "date": "2022-02-08",
    "layout": "BlogPostLayout",
    "excerpt": "Git large file storage or LFS is a way to store binaries outside your git repo, but still work with them as if they were part of the repo."
  },
  "md": "# What is git LFS?\n\nGit large file storage or LFS is a way to store binaries outside your git repo, but still work with them as if they were part of the repo.\n\nIt works by replacing the actual file with a small text file which contains a pointer to the real thing. Every problem in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection.\n\n```sh\n$ cat screenshot.png \nversion https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1\noid sha256:8ded39c045d36d4f745e46525b5c8b6a29baceb89006a3e85148ce66db9c187d\nsize 280654\n```\n\nFor a brief introduction to LFS see https://git-lfs.github.com/ or watch this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLR1RNqJ1Mw).\n\n## Installation\nInstallation requires 2 steps.\n\n1. Place `git-lfs` on the path.  \n   I pulled the latest binary for macOS arm64 from [GitHub releases](https://github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/releases).\n\n2. Configure git to use LFS with `git lfs install`.\n\nBoth of these steps are included in the `install.sh` script, in the GitHub release.\n\n## Why is the binary called 'git-lfs'?\nA git extension is a binary prefixed `git-`.\n\nRunning `git lfs` invokes `git-lfs`, which gives you a nice summary of the available commands.\n\n```\nTo get started with Git LFS, the following commands can be used.\n\n 1. Setup Git LFS on your system. You only have to do this once per\n    repository per machine:\n\n        git lfs install\n\n 2. Choose the type of files you want to track, for examples all ISO\n    images, with git lfs track:\n\n        git lfs track \"*.iso\"\n\n 3. The above stores this information in gitattributes(5) files, so\n    that file need to be added to the repository:\n\n        git add .gitattributes\n\n 4. Commit, push and work with the files normally:\n\n        git add file.iso\n        git commit -m \"Add disk image\"\n        git push\n```\n\n## What does 'git lfs install' do?\nThe command `git lfs install` configures a git filter, which calls git-lfs to convert between pointer files and the actual blobs.\nThis filter configuration lives in your git config (e.g. at `~/.gitconfig`) and applies to all your repos.\n\n```.gitconfig\n[filter \"lfs\"]\n\tclean = git-lfs clean -- %f\n\tsmudge = git-lfs smudge -- %f\n\tprocess = git-lfs filter-process\n\trequired = true\n```\n\nIf you prefer not to run these hooks all the time, you can uninstall them with `git lfs uninstall` after finishing your work on an LFS git repo.\n\n## How is a repo configured to use LFS?\nThe command `git lfs track '*.png'` adds the following line to the `.gitattributes` file in the repo.\n\n```.gitattributes\n*.png filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text\n```\n\nThis associates git-lfs with `.png` files.\nOnce the association is made, you can work with those files normally, and git-lfs will handle the LFS interactions with GitHub automatically, in the background.\n\n## Example repo\nThis repo lives at [github.com/jldec/lfs-test](https://github.com/jldec/lfs-test)\n\n```sh\n$ git init\nInitialized empty Git repository in /Users/jldec/lfs-test/.git/\n\n$ git lfs track '*.png'\nTracking \"*.png\"\n\n$ git lfs track\nListing tracked patterns\n    *.png (.gitattributes)\nListing excluded patterns\n\n$ git add -A\n$ git commit -m 'initial commit'\n[main (root-commit) c25b950] initial commit\n 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+)\n create mode 100644 .gitattributes\n create mode 100644 screenshot.png\n\n$ git lfs ls-files\nba2a8c5285 * screenshot.png\n\n$ git remote add origin git@github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n$ git push -u origin main\nUploading LFS objects: 100% (1/1), 146 KB | 0 B/s, done.\nEnumerating objects: 4, done.\nCounting objects: 100% (4/4), done.\nDelta compression using up to 8 threads\nCompressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.\nWriting objects: 100% (4/4), 408 bytes | 408.00 KiB/s, done.\nTotal 4 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0\nTo github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n * [new branch]      main -> main\nBranch 'main' set up to track remote branch 'main' from 'origin'.\n\n$ git status\nOn branch main\nYour branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.\n\nChanges not staged for commit:\n  (use \"git add <file>...\" to update what will be committed)\n  (use \"git restore <file>...\" to discard changes in working directory)\n        modified:   screenshot.png\n\nno changes added to commit (use \"git add\" and/or \"git commit -a\")\n\n$ git commit -a -m 'update lfs file screenshot.png'\n[main e695f5f] update lfs file screenshot.png\n 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)\n\n$ git push\nUploading LFS objects: 100% (1/1), 281 KB | 121 KB/s, done.\nEnumerating objects: 5, done.\nCounting objects: 100% (5/5), done.\nDelta compression using up to 8 threads\nCompressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.\nWriting objects: 100% (3/3), 405 bytes | 405.00 KiB/s, done.\nTotal 3 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0\nTo github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n   c25b950..e695f5f  main -> main\n```\n\n_To leave a comment  \nplease visit [dev.to/jldec](https://dev.to/jldec/what-is-git-lfs-28db)_\n\n\n",
  "html": "<h1>What is git LFS?</h1>\n<p>Git large file storage or LFS is a way to store binaries outside your git repo, but still work with them as if they were part of the repo.</p>\n<p>It works by replacing the actual file with a small text file which contains a pointer to the real thing. Every problem in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection.</p>\n<pre><code class=\"language-sh\">$ cat screenshot.png \nversion https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1\noid sha256:8ded39c045d36d4f745e46525b5c8b6a29baceb89006a3e85148ce66db9c187d\nsize 280654\n</code></pre>\n<p>For a brief introduction to LFS see <a href=\"https://git-lfs.github.com/\">https://git-lfs.github.com/</a> or watch this <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLR1RNqJ1Mw\">video</a>.</p>\n<h2>Installation</h2>\n<p>Installation requires 2 steps.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Place <code>git-lfs</code> on the path.<br>\nI pulled the latest binary for macOS arm64 from <a href=\"https://github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/releases\">GitHub releases</a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Configure git to use LFS with <code>git lfs install</code>.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Both of these steps are included in the <code>install.sh</code> script, in the GitHub release.</p>\n<h2>Why is the binary called 'git-lfs'?</h2>\n<p>A git extension is a binary prefixed <code>git-</code>.</p>\n<p>Running <code>git lfs</code> invokes <code>git-lfs</code>, which gives you a nice summary of the available commands.</p>\n<pre><code>To get started with Git LFS, the following commands can be used.\n\n 1. Setup Git LFS on your system. You only have to do this once per\n    repository per machine:\n\n        git lfs install\n\n 2. Choose the type of files you want to track, for examples all ISO\n    images, with git lfs track:\n\n        git lfs track &quot;*.iso&quot;\n\n 3. The above stores this information in gitattributes(5) files, so\n    that file need to be added to the repository:\n\n        git add .gitattributes\n\n 4. Commit, push and work with the files normally:\n\n        git add file.iso\n        git commit -m &quot;Add disk image&quot;\n        git push\n</code></pre>\n<h2>What does 'git lfs install' do?</h2>\n<p>The command <code>git lfs install</code> configures a git filter, which calls git-lfs to convert between pointer files and the actual blobs.\nThis filter configuration lives in your git config (e.g. at <code>~/.gitconfig</code>) and applies to all your repos.</p>\n<pre><code class=\"language-.gitconfig\">[filter &quot;lfs&quot;]\n\tclean = git-lfs clean -- %f\n\tsmudge = git-lfs smudge -- %f\n\tprocess = git-lfs filter-process\n\trequired = true\n</code></pre>\n<p>If you prefer not to run these hooks all the time, you can uninstall them with <code>git lfs uninstall</code> after finishing your work on an LFS git repo.</p>\n<h2>How is a repo configured to use LFS?</h2>\n<p>The command <code>git lfs track '*.png'</code> adds the following line to the <code>.gitattributes</code> file in the repo.</p>\n<pre><code class=\"language-.gitattributes\">*.png filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text\n</code></pre>\n<p>This associates git-lfs with <code>.png</code> files.\nOnce the association is made, you can work with those files normally, and git-lfs will handle the LFS interactions with GitHub automatically, in the background.</p>\n<h2>Example repo</h2>\n<p>This repo lives at <a href=\"https://github.com/jldec/lfs-test\">github.com/jldec/lfs-test</a></p>\n<pre><code class=\"language-sh\">$ git init\nInitialized empty Git repository in /Users/jldec/lfs-test/.git/\n\n$ git lfs track '*.png'\nTracking &quot;*.png&quot;\n\n$ git lfs track\nListing tracked patterns\n    *.png (.gitattributes)\nListing excluded patterns\n\n$ git add -A\n$ git commit -m 'initial commit'\n[main (root-commit) c25b950] initial commit\n 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+)\n create mode 100644 .gitattributes\n create mode 100644 screenshot.png\n\n$ git lfs ls-files\nba2a8c5285 * screenshot.png\n\n$ git remote add origin git@github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n$ git push -u origin main\nUploading LFS objects: 100% (1/1), 146 KB | 0 B/s, done.\nEnumerating objects: 4, done.\nCounting objects: 100% (4/4), done.\nDelta compression using up to 8 threads\nCompressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.\nWriting objects: 100% (4/4), 408 bytes | 408.00 KiB/s, done.\nTotal 4 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0\nTo github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n * [new branch]      main -&gt; main\nBranch 'main' set up to track remote branch 'main' from 'origin'.\n\n$ git status\nOn branch main\nYour branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.\n\nChanges not staged for commit:\n  (use &quot;git add &lt;file&gt;...&quot; to update what will be committed)\n  (use &quot;git restore &lt;file&gt;...&quot; to discard changes in working directory)\n        modified:   screenshot.png\n\nno changes added to commit (use &quot;git add&quot; and/or &quot;git commit -a&quot;)\n\n$ git commit -a -m 'update lfs file screenshot.png'\n[main e695f5f] update lfs file screenshot.png\n 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)\n\n$ git push\nUploading LFS objects: 100% (1/1), 281 KB | 121 KB/s, done.\nEnumerating objects: 5, done.\nCounting objects: 100% (5/5), done.\nDelta compression using up to 8 threads\nCompressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.\nWriting objects: 100% (3/3), 405 bytes | 405.00 KiB/s, done.\nTotal 3 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0\nTo github.com:jldec/lfs-test.git\n   c25b950..e695f5f  main -&gt; main\n</code></pre>\n<p><em>To leave a comment<br>\nplease visit <a href=\"https://dev.to/jldec/what-is-git-lfs-28db\">dev.to/jldec</a></em></p>\n"
}