.gitignore Generator

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a .gitignore file?+
  A .gitignore is a plain-text file in your repository that tells Git which files and folders to leave untracked. Anything matching a pattern in it will not show up as a change to commit. It is how you keep dependencies, build output, secrets and operating-system clutter out of version control while still keeping them on your machine.
• How do I use the generated file?+
  Tick the languages, frameworks, operating systems and editors you use, copy the output, and save it as a file named exactly .gitignore in the root of your repository. Commit it like any other file. From then on, Git ignores everything the patterns match. You can edit it by hand afterwards to add project-specific entries.
• What should always be in a .gitignore?+
  At minimum: dependency folders such as node_modules or vendor (they are reinstalled from a manifest, not committed), build output like dist or target, and — most importantly — secrets such as .env files and private keys. Committing secrets is one of the most common and damaging mistakes in software, so the env templates here are worth including.
• Why are dependency folders ignored?+
  Because they are generated, not authored. node_modules, vendor and similar directories are rebuilt from a lock or manifest file (package-lock.json, composer.lock) on any machine, so committing them bloats the repository, causes constant merge conflicts, and serves no purpose. You commit the manifest; everyone else runs install.
• How do the patterns work?+
  Each non-comment line is a pattern. A plain name matches files of that name anywhere; a trailing slash like build/ matches a directory; an asterisk is a wildcard; and a leading exclamation mark re-includes something that an earlier pattern excluded (negation). Lines starting with # are comments. The generator groups patterns under commented headers so the file stays readable.
• Does .gitignore remove files that are already tracked?+
  No — and this trips people up. .gitignore only prevents untracked files from being added; it does nothing to files Git is already tracking. If you accidentally committed something you now want ignored, add it to .gitignore and then run git rm --cached on the file to stop tracking it, then commit that change.
• What is a global gitignore?+
  You can configure a personal, machine-wide ignore file (via core.excludesFile) for patterns that are about your environment rather than the project — your editor’s folders, your operating system’s junk files. That keeps OS- and editor-specific entries out of every project’s committed .gitignore, which some teams prefer. The OS and editor templates here suit either approach.
• Can I combine multiple languages?+
  Yes — tick as many as apply. A typical project mixes a language (Node or PHP), a framework (Laravel), an operating system, and an editor. The generator concatenates the relevant templates under clear headers, and you can delete any lines that do not apply to your specific setup.
• Is my selection sent anywhere?+
  No. The templates are built into the page and assembled in your browser. Nothing is transmitted, logged or stored, so the tool works offline and reveals nothing about your project.
• Is the .gitignore Generator free?+
  Completely free, with no account or limit. It works offline once the page has loaded and collects no data.