About .gitignore Templates

Combine templates — node, python, go, rust, java, macos, windows, vscode. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Generators collection.

Use Cases

• New project creators generating comprehensive ignore rules instantly
• Polyglot teams combining Node, Python, and Go ignore patterns
• Open-source maintainers preventing IDE config files from leaking
• DevOps engineers excluding build artifacts and environment files

Tips

• Combine multiple templates for polyglot repositories
• Include OS-specific templates like macOS and Windows
• Add IDE templates (vscode, jetbrains) for editor artifacts

Fun Facts

• GitHub maintains the official gitignore template repository (github/gitignore) with over 160,000 stars — it's one of the most-starred repos on the platform.
• Git's .gitignore support was added in Git 1.5.0 (2007); before that, developers had to use .git/info/exclude or core.excludesfile for ignore patterns.
• The gitignore pattern syntax supports negation (!) allowing you to ignore everything in a directory except specific files — a feature many developers don't know exists.

FAQ

Quick add vs custom build?

This tool is the quick-select: pick languages/OS/editor combinations and copy the result. For custom rules on top, use .gitignore Builder.

How recent are the templates?

Synced with github/gitignore regularly. Modern tooling (Vite, Next.js 15, Bun, Deno) is included.

Can I see what each template contains?

Yes — hover any template for a preview before adding. Expand to inspect the full rule list.

What about global .gitignore?

Separate file at ~/.config/git/ignore or ~/.gitignore_global. The tool focuses on repo-local .gitignore; apply the same templates to global for personal conventions.