Efficiently manage large files in Git with Git LFS

Git Large File Storage (LFS) is a tool designed to manage large files within Git repositories more efficiently by replacing them with text pointers and storing the actual file content on remote servers. This approach helps prevent repository bloat and improves version control and collaboration by allowing team members to download only the necessary large file contents rather than the entire repository history. Unlike Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), which optimize global content delivery, Git LFS offers version control for large files, making it ideal for managing media assets in software projects. Git LFS integrates smoothly with existing Git workflows and offers flexible storage options, though it has a 2GB limit on free GitHub plans. The article also provides steps for installing Git LFS in new or existing projects and explores how GitHub's ecosystem, including GitHub Pages and GitHub Actions, can enhance the management of large files.