Quick Answer
What is a .gitignore file?
// Answer
A .gitignore file tells Git which files and folders to ignore — things like build output, dependencies (node_modules), environment files, and editor settings that shouldn’t be committed. Keeping these out of version control keeps your repository clean and avoids leaking secrets.
Why use this tool
Start clean
Rather than remembering every cache folder and OS file, select your stack and get a sensible combined ignore list. Toggle templates on and off and copy the result into your project root.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
In the root of your Git repository. You can also have additional .gitignore files in subdirectories.
Yes. Click multiple templates to merge their rules into one file.
It is large, reinstallable from package.json, and should never be committed.
Yes, the file is built entirely in your browser.
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