AZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Exam

Integration of Git LFS and git-fat in Azure Repositories

Git Large File Storage (Git LFS) and git-fat are two tools designed to handle large files in Git repositories. They help manage binary files that are too large for typical Git workflows, improving both performance and storage efficiency in Azure Repos.

Git LFS

Git LFS is a Git extension that replaces large files with text pointers inside Git, while storing the file contents on a remote server. This approach helps in reducing the overall repository size and improves clone and fetch operations.

Key benefits include:

• Performance Improvement: Large files are stored separately, reducing the time needed for cloning and fetching repositories.
• Storage Cost Reduction: By keeping large files out of the main repository, storage space usage is optimized, potentially lowering costs.

git-fat

git-fat is another tool similar to Git LFS but designed to work with existing Git workflows. It helps by moving large binary files to storage backends like Azure Blob Storage, while only keeping pointers to these files in the repository.

The main advantages are:

• Integration with Azure Blob Storage: Offers seamless integration with Azure's storage solutions, leveraging cloud storage for large binary files.
• Simplified Workflow: Works with existing Git commands, making it easier for users to adopt without significant changes to their workflow.

Configuration and Integration

When configuring file tracking patterns and authentication for these tools in Azure Repos, it’s crucial to:

• Define File Tracking Patterns: Ensure specific types of large files are tracked by Git LFS or git-fat.
• Set Up Authentication: Configure authentication methods for accessing remote storage solutions securely.
• Integrate with Azure Blob Storage: Use Azure Blob Storage as the backend for storing large files, providing robust and scalable storage.

Performance Validation

After setting up Git LFS or git-fat, validate improvements in repository operations:

• Clone and Fetch Performance: Measure improvements in the time taken for clone and fetch operations.
• Storage Costs: Track changes in storage usage and costs to ensure benefits align with expectations.

In summary, Git LFS and git-fat are essential tools for managing large files in Azure Repos, each offering distinct benefits. Git LFS improves performance and storage costs by separating large files from the main repository, while git-fat integrates seamlessly with Azure’s storage solutions. Proper configuration and validation ensure these tools provide optimal results for managing large media assets in your projects.