.gitignore Generator
Combine templates for languages, frameworks, editors and OSes into one clean .gitignore.
About this tool
Click the templates that match your project — languages, frameworks, editors, operating systems, plus a secrets-and-keys set — filter the list by name, add your own paths, and copy or download a .gitignore with each section labelled and repeated rules removed.
What belongs in .gitignore
A .gitignore tells Git which files never to track: dependencies that can be reinstalled (node_modules, vendor, .venv), build output (dist, target, bin), editor and OS clutter (.vscode, .idea, .DS_Store, Thumbs.db), logs and caches, and above all secrets. Committed .env files, private keys and cloud credentials are one of the most common causes of leaked access keys, because public repositories are scanned by bots within minutes; the ‘Secrets & keys’ template keeps .env and key files out while still allowing a .env.example. Combining templates for a real project — say Next.js on Node, edited in VS Code on a Mac — is the normal case, and the generator merges them without duplicates. Two practical notes: .gitignore only affects files that are not yet tracked, so for anything already committed run git rm --cached on it; and the download is named gitignore.txt because browsers hide files starting with a dot — rename it to .gitignore in the repository root. The README generator and the license generator complete a new repository, the password generator makes secrets worth protecting, and How checksums verify downloads and backups — and which one to use covers verifying downloads.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the .gitignore file go?
In the root of the repository, named exactly .gitignore. You can also add more .gitignore files in subfolders for rules that apply only there.
Why is a file still tracked after I added it to .gitignore?
Because it was committed before. Run git rm --cached path/to/file, commit, and it will be ignored from then on.
Should I ignore package-lock.json?
No — lock files should be committed so everyone installs the same versions. The templates here deliberately leave them tracked.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The file is assembled in your browser.