What is the purpose of the .gitignore file?

.gitignore files are used to specify files or folders that Git should ignore, preventing them from being committed to the repository, thus avoiding unnecessary or sensitive files being traced. Its core functions include: 1. Exclude temporary files generated during development such as node_modules, .env, .log, etc.; 2. Avoid specific files generated by the operating system or editor entering version control; 3. Clean up the compiled products generated by the build tool such as dist/, build/ directory; 4. Pay attention to syntax such as wildcard characters*, directories ending with /, and ! when setting them. If you have submitted the file before adding .gitignore, you need to manually run git rm -r --cached . Clear the cache and then resubmit.

The .gitignore file is used to tell Git which files or folders to ignore when committing changes to a repository. This helps keep your version-controlled project clean and focused by preventing unnecessary or sensitive files from being tracked.

Why You Need a .gitignore File

When you work on a project, especially in languages ​​like JavaScript, Python, or Java, your development environment often generates files that shouldn't be part of the version history. Things like log files, compiled binaries, node_modules, or local configuration files can clutter your repo if not ignored. A .gitignore file ensures these files stay out of your commits.

For example:

• node_modules/
• .env
• *.log
• __pycache__/

Without proper ignoring, your repo might end up tracking large or sensitive files unintentionally.

Common Use Cases for .gitignore

Here are some typical scenarios where .gitignore comes in handy:

• Local Development Files: Like .env , .DS_Store , or .idea/ (for JetBrains IDEs).
• Build Artifacts: Generated by tools like Webpack, Vite, or Maven — typically found in directories like dist/ , build/ , or target/ .
• Operating System Specific Files: Such as Thumbs.db on Windows or .DS_Store on macOS.
• Editor Backup Files: Like those created by Vim ( *.swp ) or VS Code ( *.vscode/ ).

It's important to set up .gitignore early in your project lifecycle because once a file has been committed, updating .gitignore won't stop it from being tracked unless you manually remove it from the index.

How to Create and Use .gitignore

You create .gitignore at the root of your Git repository. It's a plain text file where each line contains a pattern for files or directories to ignore.

Some basic syntax tips:

• Blank lines are ignored
• Lines starting with # are comments
• Standard wildcards like * work ( *.tmp , logs/*.log )
• To ignore a directory, add a trailing / ( logs/ )
• Use ! to negate a pattern ( !important.log )

For example, a simple .gitignore could look like this:

 # Ignore all log files
*.log

# Ignore node modules
node_modules/

# Ignore environment files
.env

# Don't track OS-specific files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

If you're starting a new project, you can find templates online for many common platforms — GitHub even maintains a collection of useful .gitignore templates.

What Happens If You Forget to Add Files to .gitignore

If you forget to add certain files to .gitignore , Git will start tracking them as soon as they're added to the staging area. That means they'll show up in future commits and appear in your repository history.

To fix this after the fact:

• Update .gitignore with the correct patterns
• Run git rm -r --cached . to untrack all files
• Then do git add . and commit again

This removes cached files from Git but keeps them in your working directory, so your local files remain intact.

Just remember — .gitignore only works for untracked files. Once something is committed, .gitignore alone won't hide it from Git.

Basically that's it.

The above is the detailed content of What is the purpose of the .gitignore file?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!