Free .gitignore Generator

The .gitignore Generator is a free online tool that creates .gitignore files with the right rules for any programming language, framework, or IDE.

Yes, it is completely free with no registration required. All file generation happens client-side in your browser.

The .gitignore Generator supports templates for Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Rust, React, Angular, Vue, and dozens of other languages and frameworks.

Absolutely. The .gitignore Generator processes everything client-side in your browser. No data is uploaded to or stored on any server. Your content remains private on your device at all times.

Yes, the .gitignore Generator is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets. You can use it on any device with a modern web browser -- no app download required.

No account or registration is needed. Simply open the .gitignore Generator in your browser and start using it immediately. There are no sign-up walls or usage restrictions.

Simply enter your input in the provided field, adjust any settings to your preference, and the tool will process it instantly. You can then copy the result to your clipboard or download it.

The .gitignore Generator works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. For the best experience, use the latest version of your preferred browser.

A .gitignore only affects untracked files. Once Git is already tracking a file, adding a matching pattern does nothing — Git keeps watching it because it is part of the index. To fix this, stop tracking the file while leaving it on disk with git rm --cached path/to/file, or git rm -r --cached folder/ for a directory, then commit the change. The file now becomes untracked and the ignore rule takes effect. This commonly happens with a .env file, a build folder, or node_modules/ that slipped in before you added any rules. Note that the file stays in your project history even after removal, so a committed secret should also be rotated rather than just ignored. Generate your ruleset here first, paste it into the repository, and use the built-in path tester to confirm the pattern matches before you run the cleanup commands.

These control how broadly a pattern matches. A single asterisk (*) matches any characters except a directory separator, so *.log catches build.log but not logs/app.log. A double asterisk (**) matches across directories, so logs/**/debug.log reaches any depth. A trailing slash like build/ targets directories only, ignoring a folder and everything inside it while leaving a file named build untouched. A leading slash anchors a pattern to the repository root, so /config matches only the top-level config, not nested ones. A ? matches exactly one character, and [abc] matches one listed character. A leading ! negates an earlier rule so you can un-ignore a single file, and lines starting with # are comments. This generator's templates already use these correctly, and the Pattern Reference tab summarizes each one. Build your file above and test a sample path to see exactly which rules apply.

Stack presets are one-click shortcuts that load a curated set of templates for a common technology combination, so you skip hunting through the list. Selecting MERN selects Node.js, React, MongoDB, macOS, and VS Code at once, while LAMP loads PHP, Laravel, macOS, and Linux. There are eight presets in total, also covering Python ML, Flutter, Full Stack JS, Java Spring, Go API, and Rust. Each preset replaces your current selection rather than adding to it, giving you a clean starting point. After applying one you can still toggle individual templates on or off, add custom rules below, and remove any template badge you do not need. Presets are the fastest route when your project matches a standard stack; choose one above, then refine the output panel until the file fits your repository exactly.

Files created by your operating system or editor — .DS_Store on macOS, Thumbs.db on Windows, or .idea/ and .vscode/ folders — are personal to your machine, not your project. Putting them in a shared project .gitignore works, but it clutters the file and assumes every teammate uses the same OS and editor. A cleaner approach is a global gitignore that applies to every repository on your computer. You set it up once with git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global, then add your OS and editor patterns to that file. This generator surfaces that exact command under its Global config option, and individual OS and IDE templates here let you copy the relevant patterns into your global file. Generate the patterns above, then decide which belong in the project file versus your global one.

The built-in path tester gives a fast, useful approximation but is not a full reimplementation of Git's matching engine. You type a file path such as src/node_modules/test.js, and it instantly shows whether your current rules would mark it Ignored or Not ignored, which is great for sanity-checking a pattern before you commit. Under the hood it uses simplified matching rather than the complete gitignore specification, so unusual edge cases — complex negations, certain bracket expressions, or precedence between overlapping rules — may not resolve exactly as Git does. For everyday patterns like folders, extensions, and wildcards it is reliable. When a result surprises you, confirm with git status or git check-ignore in your actual repository. Build your ruleset above, run a few representative paths through the tester, then verify anything critical in Git itself.