How To Push A Big Next.js App To GitHub?

Managing a big Next.js and version control of the deployed Next. js application could be challenging sometimes, especially when it comes to file size and repository issues.

This guide will help you no matter if you are an experienced programmer or a person who never used GitHub at all. It explains how to push a large Next application to GitHub efficiently and effectively.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the process, ensure you have the following

• Git Installed
• GitHub Account
• Next.js Application

Steps To Push Big Next.js App To GitHub

Step 1: Initialize Your Git Repository

First, open your Next.js application in your terminal.’ Initialize a new Git repository by running. Initialize a new Git repository by running:

git init

This command generates a fresh working directory in your project and that is how Git will manage your files in the git directory.

Step 2: Create a .gitignore File

Next.js projects contain files and directories that should not be committed to the Git repository, for example, node_modules, . next, . env. To make sure these files are not seen, create a .gitignore file at the root of your project if there is no such file available there.

Here’s a simple example of what your . gitignore might look like:

node_modules/
.next/
.env

Step 3: Add Your Files to Git

Once your .gitignore is set up, add your files to the Git staging area using the following command:

git add .

The . tells Git to add all files in the current directory and subdirectories.

Step 4: Commit Your Changes

After staging your files, commit them with a descriptive message:

git commit -m “First commit of Next. js application”

This command tracks the modifications you have made on your repository.

Step 5: Create a GitHub Repository

Go to github.com and click on new repository.

You can call it what you want as long as you want but it is recommended that you call it by your project name.

After creating the repository, Click on Code GitHub will provide you with a URL that looks something like this:

Step 6: Push Your Code to GitHub

To push your local repository to GitHub, you’ll need to add the GitHub repository as a remote:

git remote add origin https://github. com/yourusername/your-repository. git

Now, push your code to the main branch (or master if that’s what you prefer) on GitHub you can also check your branch by using command

git branch

then push your code

git push -u origin <branch name>

This command uploads your files to GitHub and sets the remote repository as the default for future pushes.

Step 7: Handling Large Files

GitHub provides the file size limit up to 100MB per file. Any file that is larger than this size will be handled differently and you will have to find a way of dealing with it. There are a couple of strategies:

• Git Large File Storage (LFS): Git LFS is a good way to track large files. Git LFS replaces these files with pointers in your repository and then stores the actual file contents somewhere else.

To install Git LFS and track a large file:

git lfs install
git lfs track "path/to/largefile"

Then, commit and push your changes as usual.

• Remove Large Files: If there are some big files which do not need to version control such as build artifacts, can exclude them or add to . gitignore.

Step 8: Optimize Repository Size

If your repository is still too large, consider optimizing it:

• Prune Unnecessary Files: Scan your history for big files which were uploaded by accident. Remove them using git filter-branch OR if you prefer, a commercial tool called BFG Repo-Cleaner.
• Compress Files: If large assets need to be added to the repository then it should be compressed if possible.