Git LFS is a command line extension and [specification](docs/spec.md) for managing large files with Git. The client is written in Go, with pre-compiled binaries available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD.
Inherent in the design of Git is the notion that every clone of a repository contains every version of every file. This is a core feature of a distributed version control system. But for some types of projects, this is not reasonable or even practical. Multiple revisions of a large file take up space quickly, slowing down repository operations and making clones, fetches, and pulls unwieldy. The Git LFS overcomes this limitation by storing the metadata for large files in Git and syncing the actual file contents to a configurable [Git LFS server](docs/api.md).
* Tight integration with Git means you don't have to change your workflow after the initial configuration.
* Large files are synced separately to a configurable Git LFS server over HTTPS, so you are not limited in where you push your Git repository.
* Large files are only synced from the server when they are checked out, so your local repository doesn't carry the weight of every version of every file when it is not needed.
* The metatadata stored in Git is extensible for future use. It currently includes a hash of the contents of the file, and the file size so clients can display a progress bar while downloading or opt out of a large download.
* Clients and servers can make use of all the features of HTTPS, such as caching content locally on a CDN, resumable uploads and downloads, or performing requests in parallel for faster transfers.
See the [Git LFS overview](https://github.com/github/git-lfs/tree/master/docs) and [man pages](https://github.com/github/git-lfs/tree/master/docs/man).
