Git /Large Media /

Repository collaboration with Large Media

This feature is deprecated

Netlify’s Large Media service is deprecated. While Large Media continues to function for sites that currently have it enabled, new Large Media configuration is not recommended. Refer to the deprecation notice in our Support Forums for alternative services and more information.

To avoid the risk of file loss, read our Uninstalling Large Media Support Guide and contact support for assistance turning off Large Media for an existing site.

When a repository is configured to use Large Media and Git LFS, contributors cloning and working with the repository locally must also have these services installed, and must have access to the site on Netlify.

To start working locally with a repository configured for Large Media, complete all of the stated requirements, then clone and push as normal.

Tip

No local setup is required for contributing to a repository using Decap CMS.

# Repository forks

You can fork a repository connected to a site enabled for Large Media, with the following limitations:

  • In order to access the Large Media files, you must fulfill all of the Large Media requirements, including access to the Netlify site connected to the main (upstream) repository.
  • You cannot create a new Netlify site from the fork, because the Large Media files are accessible on the original site only.

# Clone without Large Media files

For contributions that don’t require access to a repository’s Large Media files, you can use GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 with your clone command to ignore LFS settings and download the text pointer files only:

GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git clone YOUR_REPOSITORY_URL

Windows users

PowerShell and the Windows command line (cmd.exe) do not support the above syntax. For Windows users, we recommend running the command above using Git Bash for Windows.

# Decap CMS

When you have Large Media enabled on your site, you can use Decap CMS with Netlify Identity to allow your site editors to work seamlessly with Large Media files in the Decap CMS UI — with no local setup required on their end.

To get started, refer to the Large Media setup instructions to enable Large Media on your site, then visit the Decap CMS docs for more information on CMS setup and configuration options.