The Future of Large Files in Git Is Git

9 days ago

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Git struggles with large files, causing storage bloat and slow operations.
Git LFS was introduced in 2015 to handle large files but introduced new complications and costs.
Git's partial clone feature, introduced in 2017, offers similar benefits to LFS without the drawbacks.
Partial clones use filters to avoid downloading large files initially, speeding up clones and reducing disk usage.
Git LFS has significant downsides, including vendor lock-in, high costs, and setup complexity.
Git is developing large object promisors to replace LFS, aiming for seamless handling of large files.
Large object promisors are still in progress, with parts merged into Git in March 2025.
The future of large files in Git looks promising, potentially making LFS obsolete.

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