Git LFS limitations regarding repository backups and offline work

Git Large File Storage (LFS) alters the standard Git assumption that a repository clone serves as a complete, offline backup. While a standard Git clone includes the full history of source code, Git LFS does not download all large file objects by default to save bandwidth and local storage.

Users attempting to migrate repositories or work fully offline may encounter errors regarding missing LFS objects. To obtain a complete local copy of all files and history, users must explicitly run the command ‘git lfs fetch origin --all’. Additionally, Git LFS utilizes HTTPS for file transfers, even when the primary repository connection is established via SSH, which may impact uploads if web servers have file size restrictions.