Document how repository storage is calculated
Problem Statement
Repository storage is calculated by GitLab in a way that can be unclear or unintuitive for our users.
Why is this a problem?
Customers and free users don't understand how repository storage is measured, and there's often a huge discrepancy in size of a local clone vs. size of the repository data on a GitLab server.
There is no documentation to help explain or understand how GitLab calculates/measures repository storage on the server.
When customers ask about this, even GitLab team members have difficulty understanding how repository storage is calculated by GitLab.
Further details
Examples
Relevant issue: Depends on discussion outcome in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/351415
Relevant Support ticket: https://gitlab.zendesk.com/agent/tickets/272117
Proposal
Add an entry to our documentation explaining:
- how repository storage is calculated on the GitLab server
- why a local clone of a project consumes less storage than the same repository hosted on GitLab.com or a self-managed GitLab instance
- situations where repository storage on the server may drastically increase
Who can address the issue
A member of the Source Code or Gitaly team, with assistance from Technical Writing and/or Support teams.