Cheatsheets & Reference
.gitignore Generator
Multi-select your stack and generate a combined .gitignore file.
Select your stack and tools
Generate .gitignore Files for Any Stack
A .gitignore file tells Git which files and directories to ignore — keeping your repository clean from build artifacts, dependency folders, environment secrets, IDE configuration files, and OS-specific metadata. This generator lets you combine templates for multiple technologies with a single click. Select your programming language, framework, IDE, and operating system, and the tool merges all the relevant ignore rules into one ready-to-use file. The templates are inspired by the widely-used github/gitignore repository and cover the most common patterns developers need. Everything runs in your browser — no data leaves your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .gitignore file?
A .gitignore file is a text file placed in the root of a Git repository that specifies intentionally untracked files to ignore. Patterns in the file are matched against file paths, and matching files are excluded from git add and git status. It uses glob syntax — * matches anything, / denotes directories, and ! negates a pattern.
Why should I use a .gitignore?
Without a .gitignore, you risk committing sensitive files (API keys, environment variables), large binary artifacts (node_modules, build output), and OS/IDE-specific junk (.DS_Store, .idea/). This bloats your repository, leaks secrets, and creates noise in pull requests.
How do I ignore files that are already tracked?
Adding a file to .gitignore only prevents new untracked files from being added. To stop tracking a file that's already committed, run git rm --cached <file>, then commit. The file will remain on disk but Git will stop tracking it going forward.