Handling Large Repositories
When working with large codebases, these strategies can maintain performance:
Performance Optimization
Repository Structure
- Use
.gitignore
carefully to exclude build artifacts - Split into submodules if logically separable components exist
- Consider shallow clones for CI/CD:
git clone --depth 1
Git Configuration
# Enable filesystem caching
git config --global core.fscache true
# Enable commit graph
git config --global core.commitGraph true
# Set compression level
git config --global core.compression 9
# Enable multi-pack index
git config --global core.multiPackIndex true
Maintenance Commands
Command | Purpose | Frequency |
---|---|---|
git gc |
Garbage collection | Monthly |
git repack |
Recompress objects | Quarterly |
git prune |
Remove dangling objects | With gc |
Managing Binary Files with Git LFS
Git Large File Storage (LFS) replaces large files with text pointers:
Setup and Usage
# Install Git LFS
git lfs install
# Track specific file types
git lfs track "*.psd"
git lfs track "*.bin"
git lfs track "assets/**"
# View tracked patterns
git lfs track
# Standard git commands work normally
git add file.psd
git commit -m "Add design file"
git push
Migration Strategies
Monorepo Management
Single repository containing multiple projects requires special tooling:
Monorepo Tools
Tool | Purpose | Language |
---|---|---|
Lerna | JavaScript package management | Node.js |
Bazel | Build system | Multi-language |
Nx | Project graph | Node.js |
Buck | Fast builds | Multi-language |
Git Strategies for Monorepos
- Sparse Checkout:
git sparse-checkout init
- Partial Clones:
git clone --filter=blob:none
- Shallow History:
git clone --depth=1
- Split Worktrees:
git worktree add
Directory Structure Example
monorepo/
├── .git/
├── packages/
│ ├── web-app/
│ ├── mobile-app/
│ └── shared-lib/
├── services/
│ ├── api-service/
│ └── auth-service/
└── tools/
├── deployment/
└── scripts/
Scaling Git for Enterprise
Key takeaways for large projects:
- Optimize performance with proper configuration and maintenance
- Handle binaries properly using Git LFS or alternative storage
- Choose tooling carefully for monorepos based on language needs
Remember that as projects grow, Git workflows should evolve to maintain developer productivity.
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