Git Ignore Patterns Explained

Git Ignore Patterns Explained

A well-crafted .gitignore keeps your repository clean by excluding build artifacts, dependencies, secrets, and OS-specific files. Understanding the pattern syntax helps you write precise rules.

Pattern Syntax

Basic Patterns

Ignore a specific file
secret.env

Ignore all files with an extension
*.log

Ignore a directory
node_modules/

Wildcards

*       — matches anything except /
**      — matches anything including /
?       — matches any single character
[abc]   — matches a, b, or c
[0-9]   — matches digits

Negation

Ignore all .env files
*.env

But keep .env.example
!.env.example

Directory vs File

Trailing slash = directory only
build/

No trailing slash = file or directory
build

Anchored Patterns

Leading slash = relative to .gitignore location
/dist        # Only root dist, not src/dist

No leading slash = matches anywhere
dist         # Matches /dist AND /src/dist

Essential Patterns by Language

Node.js

node_modules/
.next/
dist/
*.tsbuildinfo
.env*.local

Python

__pycache__/
*.pyc
.venv/
dist/
*.egg-info/

General

OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

Editor files
.vscode/settings.json
.idea/
*.swp

Environment
.env
.env.local

Common Mistakes

Ignoring already-tracked files — .gitignore only affects untracked files. To stop tracking a file:

git rm --cached filename

Not ignoring .env — secrets in git history are permanent. If you accidentally committed a secret, rotate it immediately. Ignoring too much — don't ignore lock files (package-lock.json, yarn.lock). They ensure reproducible builds.

Global Gitignore

Set up a global gitignore for OS/editor files so you don't repeat them in every repo:

git config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore_global

Try It

Use our .gitignore Generator to select your tech stack and generate a comprehensive .gitignore file instantly.

Conclusion

A good .gitignore is part of project hygiene. Understand the pattern syntax, set up a global gitignore for personal files, and never commit secrets.