How to Write a .gitignore File
By Tools Star Hub Editorial Team · Published
The .gitignore Generator writes file text from a short set of templates and optional custom patterns. Node is checked when the page opens. Each selected template becomes a comment heading and its patterns. Generating that text does not update a Git repository. You copy the result into a file named .gitignore.
Template order is fixed, so the box you check second can still appear first. Node, Next.js, Environment files, Operating system, Logs, and Build output stay in that order. A custom line that repeats a selected template line is written once, under the template, and skipped in the Custom section.
How to write a .gitignore file
- Check the templates you want. Node is checked when the page opens. The other templates are Next.js, Environment files, Operating system, Logs, and Build output. The text is built in this browser tab. Tools Star Hub does not send those patterns to a server or save them in local storage.
- Add custom patterns, one per line. Blank lines are skipped. Each pattern can be up to 200 characters, and you can add up to 50. A line that matches a selected template line is not written again.
- Press Generate. Choosing no template and adding no custom pattern is rejected. The result ends with a blank line after the last block.
- Copy the text into .gitignore yourself. The page writes the text. It does not create the file in a repository. Robots.txt is a different file. Use the Robots.txt Generator for crawler rules.
Example
Node and environment files
Node plus Environment files, with no custom patterns, starts with a Node heading and node_modules/, then npm-debug.log*. An Environment files heading follows, with .env and .env.*. Environment files stay after Node even if you check that box first.
A custom pattern
Node plus a custom line secrets/ writes the Node block, then a Custom heading and secrets/. A custom node_modules/ line is not repeated.
Things to watch
The starter lines
Node writes node_modules/ and npm-debug.log*. Next.js writes .next/ and out/. Environment files writes .env and .env.*. Operating system writes .DS_Store and Thumbs.db. Logs writes *.log. Build output writes dist/ and build/. This is a short starter set, not every language or editor.
The file is not created for you
Copy the text into a file named .gitignore. Generating it does not update a Git repository.
FAQ
- What text does Node plus Environment files produce?
- A Node heading, node_modules/, and npm-debug.log*, then an Environment files heading, .env, and .env.*. The templates stay in that order.
- Why did Environment files come after Node?
- Templates stay in a fixed order: Node, Next.js, Environment files, Operating system, Logs, then Build output. The order you check the boxes does not change that.
- Why was a custom node_modules/ line left out?
- That line is already in the Node template, so it is kept there and skipped in the Custom section. A new line such as secrets/ is written under Custom.
- What is the custom pattern limit?
- Up to 50 custom patterns, each up to 200 characters. Blank lines are skipped.
To build .gitignore text from the starter templates, use the .gitignore Generator. It runs in the browser and does not update a repository.