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Git commit storage depends on object compression and repository structure

ratfactor.com 4 min read Editor score 7/10

Experiments show loose-object commits can range from kilobytes to megabytes, while Git packfiles save space by removing redundancy across objects. The internals help explain repository growth and storage costs.

What

Git stores repository data as zlib-compressed objects and can later pack objects to remove redundancy.

How

The size of a commit depends on file compressibility and repository structure; even a small change can add object and tree overhead.

Why it matters

Engineers estimating repository storage need to account for object compression, packfiles, and the changed files' surrounding structure.

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