Repository checkout and Git LFS downloads are now faster

Vercel has improved the speed of repository checkout and Git LFS downloads, reducing the average time required to prepare project files before a build by 20%. This change applies to all projects, regardless of size or complexity, and requires no configuration or manual updates from users. The update is designed to streamline the deployment process by minimizing delays caused by file retrieval. Developers can expect shorter wait times between pushing code and the start of the build phase.

For projects using Git LFS, the average time to prepare files has decreased by 54%, translating to an approximate saving of 13 seconds per deployment during this step. This improvement specifically targets repositories with large binary files managed through Git LFS. The reduction in time is measured across deployments and reflects consistent performance gains for LFS-enabled projects. Users do not need to modify their workflows to benefit from this change.

The 90th-percentile time to prepare project files has fallen by 22%, meaning that 90% of deployments now complete this step in that time or less. This metric indicates a broad improvement in consistency and reliability for the file preparation process. The reduction applies uniformly across all project types and sizes, enhancing the predictability of deployment timelines. Vercel’s infrastructure updates are responsible for these performance gains, which are delivered automatically.

These improvements are now active for all users and do not require any action to enable. Developers can review the updated Git deployment documentation on Vercel’s website for technical details on how the changes were implemented. The enhancements are part of ongoing efforts to optimize the deployment experience and reduce overhead in the development workflow. No configuration changes or feature flags are necessary to take advantage of the faster repository checkouts and LFS downloads.