Step-by-Step Guide for Uploading Large Files to GitHub

Uploading large files to GitHub can be tricky due to the platform's file size limits. By default, GitHub imposes a file upload limit of 25MB per file and a repository limit of 1GB in total size. However, with the right techniques and tools, you can manage and upload large files to your repositories effectively.

1. Understanding GitHub File Size Limits

Before diving into solutions, it's important to understand the constraints:

- File size limit: 25MB for standard uploads.

- Repository size: Recommended to stay under 1GB to avoid performance issues.

- GitHub Large File Storage (LFS): Supports files up to 2GB.

If your files exceed these limits, you'll need to use GitHub LFS or other alternatives.

Using GitHub LFS (Large File Storage)

What is GitHub LFS?

GitHub Large File Storage is an extension of Git designed to handle large files, such as binaries, datasets, or media files, by storing them outside the regular repository.

How to Set Up GitHub LFS

1. Install Git LFS

First, download and install Git LFS.

```

git lfs install

```

2. Track Large Files

Use the `git lfs track` command to specify the file types or individual files you want to manage with LFS.

```

git lfs track "*.zip"

git lfs track "large-dataset.csv"

```

This creates a `.gitattributes` file in your repository to track the specified file types.

3. Add and Commit Files

Add the files to your repository as usual:

```

git add .

git commit -m "Added large files via Git LFS"

```

4. Push to GitHub

When pushing, GitHub LFS automatically manages the upload for large files:

```

git push origin main

```

Once uploaded, the large files will be stored in GitHub's LFS storage, and your repository will contain pointers to those files.

2. Alternative Solutions for Very Large Files

Option 1: Use External Storage and Link to GitHub

If your files are too large even for Git LFS, consider hosting them on external platforms like Google Drive, AWS S3, or Azure Blob Storage. Then, add the download links to your repository.

1. Upload the file to an external storage service.

2. Add a file (e.g., `README.md`) to your repository with the link to the hosted file.

```

[Download Large File](https://example.com/large-file.zip)

```

Option 2: Compress and Split Large Files

You can split very large files into smaller chunks and upload them individually. Tools like `zip` or `split` can help.

Example with `split`

1. Split the file into chunks:

```

split -b 10M large-file.zip part_

```

This creates 10MB chunks (`part_aa`, `part_ab`, etc.).

2. Upload the chunks to your repository.

3. Add instructions to recombine them:

```

cat part_* > large-file.zip

```

4: Use Other Git Platforms

Platforms like GitLab or Bitbucket may offer higher file size limits in their free tiers. You can host large files there and link them to your GitHub repository.

4. Best Practices

- Avoid adding unnecessary large files to repositories: Use `.gitignore` to exclude large or irrelevant files.

- Use GitHub Releases for large assets: You can attach large files (up to 2GB) to GitHub release versions.

- Keep your repo size small: Regularly clean up unused files to maintain performance.

5. Summary

Uploading large files to GitHub requires planning and the use of tools like Git LFS or external storage solutions. With these strategies, you can efficiently manage and share large assets without hitting GitHub's limits.

Happy Coding!!!🥳