Reduce Git repository size

Reducing the size of your Git repository can be crucial for optimizing performance and managing storage space. Here are several effective methods to achieve this:

1. Use git gc --aggressive --prune:

   git gc --aggressive --prune
   

   This command forcefully performs garbage collection and removes unnecessary objects, including unreachable blobs, trees, and commits, from the repository.
2. Employ git maintenance: git maintenance

   git maintenance
   

   The git maintenance command is a newer alternative to git gc. It performs various maintenance tasks, including garbage collection, and can be scheduled for regular execution.
3. Utilize git filter-repo: git filter-repo

   git filter-repo --path-glob [pattern] --invert-paths --force
   

   This tool allows you to selectively remove specific files or directories from the repository history, reducing its overall size.
4. Remove large files with bfg: bfg

   bfg -b 100M
   git reflog expire --expire=now --all
   git gc --prune=now --aggressive
   

   bfg is a powerful tool specifically designed to remove large files from a Git repository.
5. Manage Git submodules: If your repository contains submodules, consider removing unused ones or cleaning up their contents to reduce the overall repository size.

Remember to thoroughly test these methods on a copy of your repository before implementing them on the actual repository to avoid unintended consequences.