Is my .gitignore data sent to a server?

No. Template fetching uses the public GitHub gitignore API, but all combining and editing runs in your browser. No project-specific data is transmitted.

What is a .gitignore file?

A .gitignore file tells Git which files and directories to exclude from version control. Patterns in .gitignore are matched against file paths relative to the repository root. Ignored files are not tracked, staged, or committed.

Why is my file still tracked after adding it to .gitignore?

If a file was already committed before being added to .gitignore, Git continues tracking it. You must untrack it first: "git rm --cached filename". After that, the file will be ignored on future commits but remains in your working directory.

What is the difference between .gitignore and .gitkeep?

.gitignore excludes files from tracking. .gitkeep is a convention (not a Git feature) — an empty file placed in an empty directory to force Git to track the directory, since Git does not track empty directories.

Can I have multiple .gitignore files?

Yes. Git reads .gitignore files at every directory level. A .gitignore in a subdirectory applies only to that directory and its children. This lets you have project-wide rules at the root and directory-specific rules deeper in the tree.

Dev Toolkit — 55+ Free Client-Side Developer Utilities

About the .gitignore Generator

Every project needs a .gitignore to prevent build artifacts, dependency directories, IDE files, and secrets from being committed to version control. Writing one from scratch means knowing every file pattern for every tool in your stack. This generator combines official GitHub gitignore templates for your languages, frameworks, and tools into a single, well-organized .gitignore file.

What this tool generates

Language Templates

Official GitHub gitignore templates for Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, and 50+ other languages.

IDE & Tool Templates

Templates for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Eclipse, and common tools like macOS (.DS_Store), Windows (Thumbs.db), and Linux.

Multi-Template Merge

Select multiple templates and merge them into a single deduplicated .gitignore — useful for full-stack projects with multiple languages.

Pattern Explanation

Hover over any pattern to see a plain-English explanation of what it matches — understand your .gitignore instead of just copying it.

Essential patterns to always include

.env and .env.local — never commit secrets
node_modules/, vendor/, venv/ — dependency directories
dist/, build/, *.class — build artifacts
.DS_Store, Thumbs.db — OS metadata files
*.log, *.tmp — temporary files

Pipeline

.env Editor — manage the .env files your .gitignore protects.
CI/CD Builder — build pipelines that work correctly with your ignored files.

Frequently asked

Is my .gitignore data sent to a server?: No. Template fetching uses the public GitHub gitignore API, but all combining and editing runs in your browser. No project-specific data is transmitted.
What is a .gitignore file?: A .gitignore file tells Git which files and directories to exclude from version control. Patterns in .gitignore are matched against file paths relative to the repository root. Ignored files are not tracked, staged, or committed.
Why is my file still tracked after adding it to .gitignore?: If a file was already committed before being added to .gitignore, Git continues tracking it. You must untrack it first: "git rm --cached filename". After that, the file will be ignored on future commits but remains in your working directory.
What is the difference between .gitignore and .gitkeep?: .gitignore excludes files from tracking. .gitkeep is a convention (not a Git feature) — an empty file placed in an empty directory to force Git to track the directory, since Git does not track empty directories.
Can I have multiple .gitignore files?: Yes. Git reads .gitignore files at every directory level. A .gitignore in a subdirectory applies only to that directory and its children. This lets you have project-wide rules at the root and directory-specific rules deeper in the tree.