**Course Title:** Version Control Systems: Mastering Git **Section Title:** Managing Large Projects with Git **Topic:** Implement Git LFS in a project with large files. **Objective:** In this lab session, you will learn how to implement Git LFS (Large File Storage) in a project with large files. By the end of this topic, you will be able to: * Understand the benefits of using Git LFS * Install and configure Git LFS in a project * Use Git LFS to track large files effectively **What is Git LFS?** Git LFS (Large File Storage) is a Git extension that helps you manage large files in your Git repository more efficiently. By default, Git is not optimized for handling large files, and storing them in your Git repository can lead to performance issues and bloated repository sizes. Git LFS addresses this problem by storing large files in a dedicated storage area, while keeping track of the files' metadata in your Git repository. **Benefits of using Git LFS** Using Git LFS in your project offers several benefits: * **Improved performance**: By storing large files outside of your Git repository, you can improve the performance of your Git operations, such as cloning, pulling, and pushing. * **Reduced repository size**: Git LFS helps reduce the size of your Git repository, making it easier to share and manage with others. * **Efficient handling of large files**: Git LFS allows you to manage large files more efficiently, making it easier to track changes and collaborate with others. **Installing and configuring Git LFS** To install Git LFS, you can use the following methods: * **Homebrew (Mac)**: `brew install git-lfs` * **Ubuntu/Debian**: `sudo apt-get install git-lfs` * **Windows**: Download and install the Git LFS installer from the official Git LFS website: [https://git-lfs.github.com/](https://git-lfs.github.com/) * **Node.js**: `npm install -g git-lfs` Once you have installed Git LFS, you can configure it to track large files in your project by running the following command: ```bash git lfs install ``` **Using Git LFS to track large files** To track large files using Git LFS, you need to specify the file types that you want to track as large files. For example, if you want to track `.psd` and `.zip` files, you can add the following lines to your `.gitattributes` file: ```bash *.psd filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text *.zip filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text ``` Then, you can commit the changes to your `.gitattributes` file and track the large files using Git LFS: ```bash git add . git commit -m "Track large files using Git LFS" ``` **Example use case:** Let's say you have a project with a large `image.jpg` file (50MB) that you want to track using Git LFS. Here's an example workflow: 1. Install and configure Git LFS in your project: `git lfs install` 2. Add the file type to your `.gitattributes` file: `*.jpg filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text` 3. Commit the changes to your `.gitattributes` file: `git add .gitattributes` and `git commit -m "Track large files using Git LFS"` 4. Track the large file using Git LFS: `git add image.jpg` and `git commit -m "Add large file using Git LFS"` **Troubleshooting Git LFS** For troubleshooting common issues with Git LFS, check out the official Git LFS documentation: [https://github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/blob/master/docs/man/git-lfs.1.ronn](https://github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/blob/master/docs/man/git-lfs.1.ronn) **Practical exercise:** Install and configure Git LFS in a new project with large files. Use Git LFS to track the large files and commit the changes to your repository. **What's next?** In the next topic, we will cover common Git issues and how to resolve them. If you have any questions or need help with implementing Git LFS, feel free to ask in the comments below. External Resources: * [Git LFS official documentation](https://git-lfs.github.com/) * [Git Large File Storage (LFS) on GitHub](https://help.github.com/en/github/managing-large-files/versioning-large-files) * [Git LFS tutorials on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=git+lfs+tutorial) Do not hesitate to ask for help in the comment section down below, its just for you!