What types of files can git track?

Git is a powerful version control system widely used for software development and team collaboration. Its main function is to track changes to files, thereby recording the history of all versions. In general, Git can track any file type, but there are some special file types that require special attention.

File types tracked by Git include, but are not limited to:

1. Code files: Git was originally designed for working with code, so its best support is code files. Any text file can be traced, whether it is C code, Java code, Python code, text document, HTML or XML file.
2. Digital images: Git can handle image files like JPEG, PNG, etc. Although these files are not text files, they can be saved in a repository so that team members can share and access them. However, it should be noted that the size of the Git repository will increase each time a file containing an image is committed.
3. Binary files: Git can handle binary files, such as compiled programs or packaged applications. Unlike text files, binary files cannot be compared for differences, only whether the files have been modified. Therefore, when Git processes binary files, it mainly determines whether the file has changed by calculating the hash value of the file content.
4. Audio and video files: Git can manage audio and video files efficiently, but since these files are often large, it is not recommended to place them in the repository. Instead, store and process them through an external media server and then reference them into your code as needed.

Some special file types to be aware of:

1. Temporary files: Git cannot track directories that contain many temporary files. These files should be removed before committing to avoid them being included in the commit and causing unnecessary conflicts.
2. Files ignored by Git: You can use the .gitignore file to specify file types that do not need to be tracked by Git.
3. Binary files: Although Git can track binary files, it is not recommended to include them in version control when developing in a multi-person team. This is because when a binary file is modified, Git cannot recognize the differences, causing the repository to easily bloat.

In short, in Git, any file type can be tracked. However, before submitting the files, it is best to check and clean them to ensure that the submitted files are required and that the version history can be effectively managed and tracked.

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