.gitignore Guide

Learn how to use .gitignore to tell Git which files to ignore.

What is .gitignore?

The .gitignore file specifies intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore. Files already tracked by Git are not affected.

Why Use .gitignore?

Avoid committing:

Build artifacts and compiled code
Dependencies (node_modules/, vendor/)
IDE and editor files (.vscode/, .idea/)
OS-generated files (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db)
Secrets and credentials (.env, API keys)
Large binary files
Temporary files

Basic Syntax

Simple Patterns

txt

# Ignore a specific file
secret.txt

# Ignore all files with extension
*.log

# Ignore entire directory
build/
node_modules/

# Ignore directory at root only
/config

# Ignore files in any directory
**/logs

Pattern Rules

Pattern	Matches
`file.txt`	Specific file in root
`*.log`	All files ending in `.log`
`dir/`	Directory and its contents
`dir/*`	Contents of directory only
`/dir`	Only root directory
`**/dir`	Directory anywhere
`*.py[cod]`	`.pyc`, `.pyo`, `.pyd` files
`file[0-9].txt`	`file0.txt` through `file9.txt`

Common .gitignore Templates

Node.js Project

txt

# Dependencies
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*
package-lock.json
yarn.lock

# Build output
dist/
build/
.next/
out/

# Environment variables
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Testing
coverage/
.nyc_output/

# Logs
logs/
*.log

Python Project

txt

# Byte-compiled / optimized
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class

# Virtual environment
venv/
env/
ENV/
.venv

# Distribution / packaging
dist/
build/
*.egg-info/
.eggs/

# Testing
.pytest_cache/
.coverage
htmlcov/
.tox/

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp

# Jupyter Notebook
.ipynb_checkpoints/

# Environment
.env
.env.local

Java Project

txt

# Compiled class files
*.class

# Package Files
*.jar
*.war
*.ear
*.zip
*.tar.gz
*.rar

# Maven
target/
pom.xml.tag
pom.xml.releaseBackup

# Gradle
.gradle/
build/

# IDE
.idea/
*.iml
.classpath
.project
.settings/
*.swp

# Logs
*.log

Web Project (HTML/CSS/JS)

txt

# Dependencies
node_modules/
bower_components/

# Build
dist/
build/
*.min.js
*.min.css

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Logs
*.log
npm-debug.log*

# Environment
.env

Complete .gitignore Example

txt

#################
# IDE & Editors #
#################

# VS Code
.vscode/
*.code-workspace

# IntelliJ IDEA
.idea/
*.iml
*.iws
*.ipr

# Sublime Text
*.sublime-project
*.sublime-workspace

# Vim
*.swp
*.swo
*~

#############
# OS Files  #
#############

# macOS
.DS_Store
.AppleDouble
.LSOverride
._*

# Windows
Thumbs.db
ehthumbs.db
Desktop.ini
$RECYCLE.BIN/

# Linux
*~
.directory
.Trash-*

##############
# Languages  #
##############

# Node.js
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*
.pnp/
.pnp.js

# Python
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class
venv/
.Python

# Java
*.class
*.jar
*.war
target/

# C/C++
*.o
*.so
*.exe
*.out
*.app

#############
# Build     #
#############

dist/
build/
out/
*.min.js
*.min.css

#################
# Environment   #
#################

.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
secrets.yml
config.local.js

##########
# Logs   #
##########

logs/
*.log
npm-debug.log*

############
# Testing  #
############

coverage/
.nyc_output/
.pytest_cache/

##########
# Misc   #
##########

.cache/
.temp/
tmp/
*.tmp
*.bak

Advanced Usage

Negation (Whitelist Files)

txt

# Ignore all .env files
*.env

# But don't ignore .env.example
!.env.example

# Ignore entire folder except one file
logs/
!logs/.gitkeep

Comments and Blank Lines

txt

# This is a comment

# Blank lines are ignored

*.log    # Comments after patterns work too

Escape Special Characters

txt

# Ignore file named #hashtag
\#hashtag

# Ignore file with space
file\ with\ space.txt

Best Practices

1. Use Global .gitignore

For personal preferences (IDE, OS files):

bash

# Set global gitignore
git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

# Create file
echo ".DS_Store" >> ~/.gitignore_global
echo ".vscode/" >> ~/.gitignore_global

2. Use Template Generators

gitignore.io - Generate templates
GitHub gitignore repo - Official templates

3. Commit .gitignore Early

bash

# Create .gitignore first
touch .gitignore

# Add your patterns
echo "node_modules/" >> .gitignore

# Commit it
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Add .gitignore"

4. Keep It Updated

bash

# Test what files would be ignored
git status --ignored

# Check if file is ignored
git check-ignore -v <file>

Troubleshooting

File Already Tracked

If a file is already tracked, .gitignore won't affect it:

bash

# Remove from tracking (keep file locally)
git rm --cached <file>

# Or remove directory
git rm -r --cached <directory>/

# Commit the change
git commit -m "Stop tracking file"

Check What's Being Ignored

bash

# Show ignored files
git status --ignored

# Show why file is ignored
git check-ignore -v <file>

# List all ignored files
git ls-files --others --ignored --exclude-standard

Debug .gitignore Rules

bash

# Check if specific file is ignored
git check-ignore -v path/to/file

# Output shows:
# .gitignore:12:*.log    path/to/file.log
# (file:line:pattern matched file)

Common Patterns by Technology

React

txt

node_modules/
build/
.env
.env.local
npm-debug.log*
.DS_Store

Vue.js

txt

node_modules/
dist/
.env.local
.DS_Store
npm-debug.log*

Angular

txt

node_modules/
dist/
.angular/
.env
npm-debug.log*

Docker

txt

# Don't ignore Dockerfile
!Dockerfile
!docker-compose.yml

# Ignore build context
.dockerignore

WordPress

txt

wp-config-local.php
.htaccess
wp-content/uploads/
wp-content/cache/

Templates and Resources

Official Templates

Language-Specific

Quick Commands

bash

# Create .gitignore
touch .gitignore

# Generate template (using gitignore.io API)
curl -L https://www.toptal.com/developers/gitignore/api/node,macos,windows,linux,vscode > .gitignore

# Check what's ignored
git status --ignored

# Test pattern
git check-ignore -v <file>

# Remove tracked file
git rm --cached <file>

# Force add ignored file
git add -f <file>

.gitignore Guide ​

What is .gitignore? ​

Why Use .gitignore? ​

Basic Syntax ​

Simple Patterns ​

Pattern Rules ​

Common .gitignore Templates ​

Node.js Project ​

Python Project ​

Java Project ​

Web Project (HTML/CSS/JS) ​

Complete .gitignore Example ​

Advanced Usage ​

Negation (Whitelist Files) ​

Comments and Blank Lines ​

Escape Special Characters ​

Best Practices ​

1. Use Global .gitignore ​

2. Use Template Generators ​

3. Commit .gitignore Early ​

4. Keep It Updated ​

Troubleshooting ​

File Already Tracked ​

Check What's Being Ignored ​

Debug .gitignore Rules ​

Common Patterns by Technology ​

React ​

Vue.js ​

Angular ​

Docker ​

WordPress ​

Templates and Resources ​

Official Templates ​

Language-Specific ​

Quick Commands ​

See Also ​

.gitignore Guide

What is .gitignore?

Why Use .gitignore?

Basic Syntax

Simple Patterns

Pattern Rules

Common .gitignore Templates

Node.js Project

Python Project

Java Project

Web Project (HTML/CSS/JS)

Complete .gitignore Example

Advanced Usage

Negation (Whitelist Files)

Comments and Blank Lines

Escape Special Characters

Best Practices

1. Use Global .gitignore

2. Use Template Generators

3. Commit .gitignore Early

4. Keep It Updated

Troubleshooting

File Already Tracked

Check What's Being Ignored

Debug .gitignore Rules

Common Patterns by Technology

React

Vue.js

Angular

Docker

WordPress

Templates and Resources

Official Templates

Language-Specific

Quick Commands

See Also