Show HN: Blackgit – use Git to only download those cared files

Category: devtools

Tags: git, file-locking, access-control, large-repos, partial-clone, sparse-checkout

Score: 7.0/10 (Innovation: 7, Technical: 7, Documentation: 8, Utility: 6)

BlackGit combines Git's branching with Perforce-style file locking and path-level access control via a client wrapper and a smart-HTTP proxy server. It enables partial clones with per-user sparse views, making large binary-heavy repos (like game assets) practical on Git. The decoupled client works with any Git remote, while the server adds authorization and lock enforcement.

Target audience: Game developers, DevOps engineers managing large monorepos, backend developers needing fine-grained Git access control

Repository: https://github.com/zhuzhonghua/blackgit · Java · MIT · 14 stars

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