Category: File Formats
Definition
Git LFS (Large File Storage) is a Git extension that manages large files like AI models and datasets by storing them separately from the main repository.
How It Works
Git LFS replaces large files with text pointers in the Git repository while storing actual file contents on a remote server. Files are downloaded on-demand during checkout.
The system tracks file versions and integrates seamlessly with Git workflows, supporting the same branching and merging operations.
Why It Matters
Git LFS enables version control for multi-gigabyte model files that would otherwise bloat repositories. It's essential for collaborative ML development.
Platforms like Hugging Face and GitHub use Git LFS to host thousands of AI models while maintaining reasonable clone times.
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