.gitignore Generator

What belongs in a .gitignore file?

A .gitignore tells Git which files and directories not to track — typically compiled output (dist/, target/), dependency folders (node_modules/), environment files (.env), and OS artefacts (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db). Patterns support glob syntax: leading ! negates a rule, trailing / matches directories only, and ** matches any depth. Combine entries from multiple stacks — for a Next.js project on macOS you want both the Next and macOS sections. To format your code before committing, visit the JSON Formatter or YAML Formatter.