ignore Git Command Guide

The .gitignore file specifies intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore. It uses patterns to match file paths, allowing developers to exclude generated files, temporary files, and sensitive data from version control.

Git Ignore Pattern Sources:

Pattern Precedence (Highest to Lowest):

1. Command-line patterns (- for commands that support them)
2. Directory .gitignore (patterns in same directory as file, up to repository root)
3. $GIT_DIR/info/exclude (repository-specific exclusions)
4. core.excludesFile (global exclusions from config file)

Special Sources:

• $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/ignore (global ignore file location)

Pattern Syntax and Matching:

Basic Pattern Types:

Pattern	Description	Example	Matches
*	Zero or more characters	*.log	debug.log, error.log
?	Single character	?.tmp	a.tmp, X.tmp
[abc]	Any character in brackets	test[ABC].txt	testA.txt, testC.txt
!	Negation pattern	!important.log	Keep important.log
/	Directory separator	build/	build directory
**/	Multi-level wildcard	vendor/**/cache/	Any cache dir in vendor
/**	After directory	src/**/*.js	All JS files under src

Pattern Matching Rules:

File vs Directory Patterns:

# Matches any file named test.txt
test.txt

# Matches any directory named build
build/

# Matches any .log files in any logger directory
logger/*.log

Location-Based Patterns:

# Root-level patterns (relative to .gitignore location)
*.log
!important.log

# Recursive patterns
**/.DS_Store
**/node_modules/

Creating and Managing GitIgnore Files:

Project .gitignore (Repository Root):

# Create project-specific gitignore
cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'
# Logs
*.log
logs/

# Build artifacts
dist/
build/
*.exe

# Temporary files
*.tmp
*.swp

# IDE files
.vscode/
.idea/

# Environment variables
.env
.env.local
EOF

Global .gitignore (All Repositories):

# Configure global ignore file
git config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore

# Create global gitignore
cat > ~/.gitignore << 'EOF'
# OS-specific files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Editor files
*.swp
*~

# IDE files (if not globally set)
# .vscode/ and .idea/ handled project-wise
EOF

Repository-Specific Exclusions:

# Create repository-specific excludes
cat > .git/info/exclude << 'EOF'
# Personal working files
my-workspace.layout
debug-notes.txt
EOF

Check and Verify Patterns:

# Check which files are ignored
git status --ignored

# Check if file is ignored
git check-ignore -v path/to/file

# List all ignored files
git ls-files --others --ignored --exclude-standard

Interactive Add with Ignores:

# Add interactively, respecting ignores
echo "secret.txt" >> .gitignore
git add secret.txt  # Won't add if in .gitignore

# Force add ignored file
git add --force secret.txt

Template-Based Setup:

# Use gitignore.io templates
# Visit https://www.tigon.io/gitignore and download template

# Example: Node.js template
cat >> .gitignore << 'EOF'
# Dependencies
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*

# Runtime data
pids
*.pid
*.seed
*.pid.lock

# Coverage directory used by tools like istanbul
coverage/
*.lcov
EOF

Troubleshoot Ignore Issues:

# Check which pattern affects file
git check-ignore -v config/database.yml

# See ignored files in directory
git status --porcelain | grep "^!!"

# Force show all ignored
git status --ignored

Caution

Already tracked files are not affected by .gitignore. Use git rm —cached to stop tracking. Patterns apply to untracked files only. Global ignores affect all repositories.

Sample Language-Specific .gitignore Patterns:

Node.js/JavaScript:

# Dependencies
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Runtime data
pids
*.pid
*.seed
*.pid.lock

# Coverage directory used by tools like istanbul
coverage/
*.lcov

# Logs
logs
*.log
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Dependency directories
jspm_packages/

# Output of 'npm pack'
*.tgz

# Yarn Integrity file
.yarn-integrity

Python:

# Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class

# C extensions
*.so

# Distribution / packaging
.Python
build/
develop-eggs/
dist/
downloads/
eggs/
.eggs/
lib/
lib64/
parts/
sdist/
var/
wheels/
*.egg-info/
.installed.cfg
*.egg

# PyInstaller
*.manifest
*.spec

# Virtual environments
.venv/
venv/
ENV/

# Django stuff:
*.log
db.sqlite3

Java:

# Compiled class file
*.class

# Log file
*.log

# BlueJ files
*.ctxt

# Mobile Tools for Java (J2ME)
.mtj.tmp/

# Package Files #
*.jar
*.war
*.nar
*.ear
*.zip
*.tar.gz
*.rar

# virtual machine crash logs, see http://www.java.com/en/download/help/error_hotspot.xml
hs_err_pid*

# Maven
target/
pom.xml.tag
pom.xml.releaseBackup
pom.xml.versionsBackup
pom.xml.next
release.properties
dependency-reduced-pom.xml
buildNumber.properties
.mvn/timing.properties

# Gradle
.gradle/
gradle-app.setting
!gradle-wrapper.jar

Tip

Use version control for .gitignore files. Share standard templates. Document why files are ignored. Review ignores periodically. Use git ignore patterns for cross-platform compatibility.

How do .gitignore patterns work?

Patterns use glob syntax to match file paths. * matches anything, ? single character, [abc] character sets. Leading / makes patterns root-relative. Leading ! negates patterns.

What is the difference between .gitignore and .git/info/exclude?

.gitignore is version-controlled and shared. .git/info/exclude is local to repository and not shared. Use .gitignore for project standards, exclude for personal preferences.

Why isn’t my .gitignore working?

Check if file is already tracked (git rm —cached). Check for syntax errors. Verify path relativity. Use git check-ignore -v filename to debug which pattern applies.

Can I ignore tracked files?

No, ignores only affect untracked files. To stop tracking tracked files, use git rm —cached. Then .gitignore will prevent re-addition.

How do global gitignore and local gitignore interact?

Both apply, local patterns override global. Global affects all repositories, local overrides for specific project needs.

Should I track .gitignore?

Yes! .gitignore ensures consistent ignores across team. Include language/OS specific patterns and project-specific exclusions.

Can I include other files in .gitignore?

No, .gitignore only contains ignore patterns, not file listings. Each pattern matches dynamically.

How do I ignore files in subdirectories?

Use relative paths or **/ for multi-level matching. Patterns are relative to .gitignore location.

What’s the difference between .gitignore and .gitkeep?

Different concerns: .gitignore excludes files, .gitkeep allows tracking empty directories by creating minimal file.

Can I use Git LFS to ignore and track large files?

Different approaches: .gitignore excludes files, Git LFS tracks large files with pointer replacement.

How do I ignore files by file size?

No direct size-based ignoring. Use patterns by extension/type or post-commit hooks for policy enforcement.

Applications of the .gitignore patterns

1. Build Artifact Exclusion: Automatically ignore generated binaries, caches, and temporary files
2. Security Protection: Prevent accidental commit of passwords, secret keys, or sensitive data
3. Development Environment Normalization: Standardize excluded IDE files, logs, and platform-specific artifacts
4. Package Management: Exclude dependency directories (node_modules, vendor) from version control
5. Collaboration Standards: Establish consistent file exclusions across development team
6. Performance Optimization: Exclude unnecessary files to reduce repository size and clone times