How to use .gitignore effectively
Learn the fundamentals before you start automating templates.
Explore resourceGitIgnore Validator
Test your .gitignore patterns and validate if files are properly ignored. Perfect for debugging gitignore rules and ensuring your repository stays clean.
🎯 Professional GitIgnore Validation Tool
This tool uses the minimatch library - the same pattern matching engine used by npm, Webpack, and other professional tools. Results are accurate and reliable, following Git's exact ignore behavior.
.gitignore Content
18 rulesTest File Paths
9 paths⚡ Quick Test Examples
💡 How GitIgnore Patterns Work
Basic Patterns
*.log- Ignores all .log filestemp*- Ignores files starting with "temp"node_modules/- Ignores entire directory.env- Ignores specific file
Advanced Patterns
**/*.log- Ignores .log files at any depth!important.log- Exception (don't ignore)/build- Only ignores root build directory**/cache- Ignores cache directories anywhere
How to Use the Validator
Step 1: Add Your .gitignore Content
Paste your .gitignore file content in the left panel. You can include comments and empty lines.
Step 2: Test File Paths
Enter file or directory paths you want to test in the right panel. The validator will show whether each path would be ignored or tracked.
Understanding Results
- Ignored: File will be ignored by Git
- Tracked: File will be tracked by Git
- Pattern: Shows which rule matched
Common GitIgnore Patterns
File Extensions
*.log
*.tmp
*.swp
*.DS_Store
Directories
node_modules/
build/
dist/
.git/
Wildcards
**/*.log
temp*
**/cache
!important.log
Master the GitIgnore.pro toolkit
Audit existing repositories
Follow the troubleshooting checklist to clean tracked files.
Explore resourceDownload a starter template
Grab production-ready templates for popular stacks.
Explore resourceLaunch the complete toolkit
Generate new patterns, validate existing rules, and audit your repository end to end.