.gitignore Patterns: What to Exclude from Your Repository

.gitignore: Keep Your Repository Clean

Every project has files that shouldn't be in version control: build artifacts, dependencies, secrets, editor configs, OS junk. A well-written .gitignore keeps your repo clean and your secrets safe. A missing one leaks .env files to GitHub.

Pattern Syntax

# Comments start with #

# Ignore a specific file
.env
secrets.json

# Ignore a directory (trailing slash)
node_modules/
dist/
build/

# Wildcard — matches any characters except /
*.log
*.tmp
*.swp

# Double star — matches any directory depth
**/test-results/
src/**/*.test.js

# Negation — re-include something
*.log
!important.log

# Question mark — matches single character
temp?.txt    # temp1.txt, tempA.txt, but not temp10.txt

Essential .gitignore by Stack

Node.js / JavaScript:

node_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
.nuxt/
.output/
coverage/
*.log
npm-debug.log*
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

Python:

__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class
*.so
.Python
venv/
env/
.venv/
*.egg-info/
dist/
build/
.eggs/
.pytest_cache/
.mypy_cache/
.env

Go:

# Go binaries
*.exe
*.exe~
*.dll
*.so
*.dylib

# Test binary
*.test

# Output
*.out
vendor/
.env

Java:

*.class
*.jar
*.war
*.ear
target/
build/
.gradle/
.settings/
.classpath
.project
*.iml
.idea/

Files You Should NEVER Commit

Already Committed a Secret?

Adding a file to .gitignore doesn't remove it from history. If you committed a secret:

# 1. Remove the file from tracking (keeps it locally)
git rm --cached .env

# 2. Add to .gitignore
echo '.env' >> .gitignore

# 3. Commit the removal
git commit -m "Remove .env from tracking"

# 4. ROTATE THE SECRET — it's already in git history
# Anyone who cloned the repo has it

For complete history removal, use git filter-branch or BFG Repo-Cleaner. But the safest approach is always to rotate the compromised credential.

Global .gitignore

For files specific to your OS and editor (not the project), use a global gitignore:

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

# ~/.gitignore_global
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
*.swp
*.swo
*~
.vscode/settings.json
.idea/
*.sublime-workspace

This keeps project .gitignore files focused on project-specific patterns, not individual developer preferences.

Debugging .gitignore

# Check why a file is ignored
git check-ignore -v path/to/file
# .gitignore:3:*.log    path/to/file.log

# List all ignored files
git status --ignored

# Force-add an ignored file (not recommended)
git add -f path/to/ignored-file

Generate your .gitignore: .gitignore Generator — select your stack and get a complete .gitignore file instantly.