Overview
Builds a .gitignore file from templates for languages, frameworks, tools, editors and operating systems, including Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Rust, .NET, Unity, Terraform, VS Code, JetBrains and macOS. Pick as many as your project needs and the patterns are merged into one file with duplicates removed. It works offline in the browser.
How It Works
Search the catalog by name or alias, such as intellij or golang, and tick the templates you want; each group lists languages, frameworks, tooling, editors and operating systems. Add your own patterns one per line in the custom box. The file updates live with counts of templates, patterns and merged duplicates, and you can copy it or download it as .gitignore.
Step-by-Step Usage Guide
- Search for your language, framework and editor.
- Tick each template your repository needs, including your operating system.
- Add any project-specific paths in the custom patterns box.
- Download the file, save it as .gitignore in the repository root and commit it.
Technical Specifications & Standards
The templates follow the patterns maintained in the github/gitignore collection, trimmed to entries that matter in practice and grouped under short comments. When several templates contain the same line, such as build/ in both Node.js and Java or *.log in several places, the first occurrence is kept and later ones are dropped, and a comment heading whose patterns were all removed is dropped too, so the file stays readable. Each template becomes a section marked with ### Name ###. Negation rules are preserved, for example .env.* followed by !.env.example keeps your template file tracked, and the VS Code section ignores .vscode/* but keeps shared settings.json and extensions.json. Some lines are deliberately left commented out, like vendor/ for Go and Cargo.lock for Rust libraries, because the right choice depends on the project. Remember that ignore rules only apply to untracked files.
Targeted Use Cases
- Starting a new repository with sensible ignores for a Node.js and Docker project.
- Keeping .env files and private keys out of a public GitHub repository.
- Combining Unity, Visual Studio and macOS rules for a game project.
- Cleaning up a monorepo that mixes Python services and a Next.js front end.
Notes & Gotchas
- Always include the environment and secrets template in projects that use .env files.
- Add the operating systems and editors your team uses, not just your own.
- Run git rm --cached on files that were committed before the rule existed.
- Keep example config files tracked with ! negation rules rather than ignoring them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a file still tracked after I added it to .gitignore?
Git only ignores untracked files. If the file was committed earlier, remove it from the index with git rm --cached path, commit that change, and the rule will apply from then on.
Does it remove duplicate patterns when I combine templates?
Yes. A pattern that already appeared in an earlier section is skipped, and the Duplicates merged counter shows how many lines were removed.
Should I commit Cargo.lock or the Go vendor folder?
It depends on the project, so those lines are included but commented out. Applications usually commit Cargo.lock, libraries often do not; uncomment the line if it fits your case.
Where do I put the generated file?
Save it as .gitignore, with the leading dot and no extension, in the root of the repository. Subfolders may have their own .gitignore files for local rules.
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