### Node.js ### node_modules/ npm-debug.log* yarn-debug.log* yarn-error.log* .pnpm-debug.log* .env .env.local .env.*.local dist/ build/ .cache/ ### macOS ### .DS_Store .AppleDouble .LSOverride Icon\r ._* .Spotlight-V100 .Trashes ### VS Code ### .vscode/* !.vscode/settings.json !.vscode/tasks.json !.vscode/launch.json !.vscode/extensions.json *.code-workspace .history/
How it works
The .gitignore Generator builds a ready-to-use .gitignore file by combining pre-built ignore rule sets for your language, framework, editor, and operating system, so you don't have to hunt down or hand-write the correct patterns.
Every project needs a .gitignore file to keep build artifacts, dependency folders, environment files, and editor-specific clutter out of version control — but the right set of patterns differs by stack: a Node.js project needs to ignore "node_modules/", a Python project needs "__pycache__/" and ".venv/", and almost every project benefits from ignoring OS files like ".DS_Store" and editor folders like ".vscode/".
How to use it: search for and select one or more presets — for example "Node", "Python", "macOS", and "VS Code" — and the tool merges their rules into a single deduplicated file, removing any redundant or conflicting entries. The presets are based on the widely-used GitHub gitignore template collection, covering dozens of languages, frameworks, and tools.
Common combinations: a typical web project might combine "Node", "Next.js", "macOS", and "VS Code"; a Python data science project might combine "Python", "Jupyter Notebooks", and "PyCharm". You can also add custom patterns of your own below the generated rules before copying or downloading.
Privacy: the rule sets are bundled directly into the tool and the merge happens locally in your browser — no project information or file paths are ever sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Each preset is based on the widely-used GitHub gitignore template collection, covering common languages, frameworks, editors, and operating systems with community-vetted patterns.
- Yes. Select as many presets as apply to your project — for example 'Node', 'Next.js', 'macOS', and 'VS Code' — and the tool merges them into one file, removing duplicate or redundant entries.
- Yes. After generating the file from presets, you can add additional custom patterns of your own in the editable output area before copying or downloading.
- No. A .gitignore file only prevents new, untracked files from being added to Git — it has no effect on files already committed. To remove already-tracked files, you'd need to run 'git rm --cached' on them separately.