Free .gitignore Generator

A .gitignore file tells Git which files and folders to exclude from version control. Without a proper .gitignore you risk accidentally committing sensitive credentials, node_modules, build artifacts, IDE settings, or OS-specific files like .DS_Store.

This free .gitignore generator offers 40+ pre-built templates for languages, frameworks, build tools, operating systems, and IDEs. Select multiple templates and they merge automatically into one clean file.

Available templates

Languages: Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Rust, PHP, Ruby, C++, TypeScript, and more.
Frameworks: React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, Django, Laravel, Rails, Spring.
IDEs: VSCode, JetBrains (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm), Sublime Text, Vim.
Operating Systems: macOS (.DS_Store), Windows (Thumbs.db, desktop.ini), Linux.
Build Tools: npm, Yarn, pnpm, Maven, Gradle, Webpack, Vite, Parcel.
Containerization: Docker (build cache, local overrides).

How to generate a .gitignore file

Search or browse for templates matching your project stack.
Select one or more templates: they combine automatically with deduplication.
Add custom rules in the custom rules section (e.g., .env, *.local).
Preview the final file and click Download .gitignore.
Place the file in your project root and commit it immediately.

What should always be in your .gitignore?

.env files: Never commit .env, .env.local, or any file with API keys, database passwords, or secrets.
node_modules/: Always ignored for Node.js projects. Reinstall via npm install.
Build outputs: dist/, build/, .next/, .nuxt/ are generated files and should not be tracked.
OS metadata: .DS_Store (macOS) and Thumbs.db (Windows) are noise in any repository.
IDE configs: .idea/, .vscode/ (personal settings), *.suo are machine-specific and not useful to teammates.

Adding a .gitignore at the start of every project is a best practice that prevents security leaks, keeps repositories clean, and avoids merge conflicts caused by machine-specific generated files.

.gitignore Generator