Git Large File Storage

Link to Git Large File Storage on anchorfm

I finally have reached the stage of adding .mov files to my Github repositories, and was made aware of the need to use Git Large File Storage. I never thought I would have to download it (with Homebrew of course), but the other morning I finally had to take the plunge.

So what is Git Large File Storage (LFS)? It is an open source Git extension for versioning large files. It replaces large files such as audio samples, videos, datasets, and graphics with text pointers inside Git, while storing the file contents on a remote server like Github.com or Github Enterprise.

First I had to install the Git command line extension. I did this with Homebrew by typing the following command in Terminal followed by pressing the enter/return key:

brew install git-lfs

Then I executed the following command in Terminal:

git lfs install

I only need to run this once per user account.

In each repository where I want to use Git LFS, I select the file types I'd like Git LFS to manage. Or I can directly edit my .gitattributes file. I have to track .mov files, so I did the following in the repository I was working on:

git lfs track "*.mov"

Then I make sure to add my .gitattributes to the staging area, and then commit it.

If you have pre-existing files that you need to convert to Git LFS within your repository, such as on other branches or in your prior commit history in your repository, you have to use the git lfs migrate[1] command, which has options designed to suit various use cases.

After you have tracked the files you want to track and committed the .gitattributes file, then you can simply commit your files and push them to origin master. And that is it!

I will be embedding this episode of Plugging in The Holes along with a transcript in the form of a post on interglobalmedianetwork.com for your hearing and reading pleasure. I will be including the related resource links mentioned in the podcast of course. Always do. Bye for now!