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What is .gitignore?

A .gitignore file tells Git which files and directories to exclude from version control — preventing them from being staged, committed, or appearing in git status. Without a .gitignore, Git would track everything: compiled binaries, dependency folders (node_modules/, vendor/, .venv/), secrets and environment files (.env, .env.local), build outputs (dist/, build/, target/), editor metadata (.idea/, .vscode/), OS-generated files (.DS_Store on macOS, Thumbs.db on Windows), and log files. Committing these accidentally bloats the repository, exposes sensitive data, and creates merge conflicts that have nothing to do with your code. The .gitignore file uses glob patterns — for example, *.log ignores all log files, and /dist ignores only the top-level dist folder.

How to Use the .gitignore Generator

1. Search for your programming language, framework, IDE, or tool (e.g. 'Node', 'Python', 'VS Code', 'macOS').

2. Click a result to add it to your selection — selected items appear as chips at the top.

3. Select multiple technologies to combine all their patterns into a single .gitignore.

4. Add any custom patterns in the 'Custom entries' text box, one per line.

5. Copy the generated .gitignore and save it as a .gitignore file in your project root.

6. Commit the .gitignore itself to version control so all team members share the same exclusion rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I commit my .gitignore file? Yes. The .gitignore file itself should be committed to the repository so all collaborators share the same ignore rules. It is the only file in its category that you do want tracked.

I already committed a file that should be ignored — how do I remove it? Adding it to .gitignore won't untrack a file that's already committed. You need to run: git rm --cached <filename> to untrack it, then commit that change. After that, .gitignore will prevent it from being re-added.

What is the difference between .gitignore and .gitkeep? .gitignore excludes files from tracking. .gitkeep is a convention (not a Git feature) for keeping an otherwise empty directory tracked — Git doesn't track empty directories, so developers add a blank .gitkeep file to preserve the directory structure.

Can I have multiple .gitignore files? Yes. You can place .gitignore files in any subdirectory. Each one applies to its directory and all subdirectories. Rules in subdirectory .gitignore files override the root .gitignore for that subtree.

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