5 Types of File to Include in Your .gitignore
Version control is a vital tool for tracking changes to your codebase, but you don’t always want to track every file.
To avoid clutter and reduce the risk of distributing sensitive information, you can use a file called .gitignore. This file specifies which files and directories Git should not index.
Determining which files to include in .gitignore can be a challenge, especially if you’re new to development. Find out which files you should add to your .gitignore for a smoother Git workflow.
Creating a .gitignore File
For your .gitignore file to have any effect, you must have Git initialized in your project.
You can initialize Git by running the command below in your terminal:
This command creates a new Git repository for your project, in a hidden “.git” subdirectory that contains all the files and directories it needs to version control your project.
To run this command, you must haveGit installed in your system.
Next, create your .gitignore file by running the command below:
Running the command above creates a new file, “.gitignore” in your current directory. You can exclude a file from Git by adding the file name or the file path (if the file is in a different directory from the.gitignorefile).
Git does not need to track every file in your project, and tracking some files can lead to unforeseen issues. These are some of the files you should add to your .gitignore.
1. Configuration Files
Configuration files store settings and other parameters that your applications use to define and customize their behavior. These files often store database connection strings, API keys, and other sensitive information that you should not expose in your Git repository.
If you include configuration files in your repository, anyone who can access it can view their contents. That may include sensitive information, which can lead to security breaches and other issues.
To exclude configuration files from your Git repository, add specific file names or folder names to your.gitignorefile.
For example, you can add the line below to your.gitignorefile to ignore a.envfile.
2. Build Artifacts
Build artifacts are the compiled or generated files produced when you build your project. These files typically live in a"target"or"build"directory.
Build artifacts can include compiled Java classes, JAR files, WAR files, binary files, distribution packages, reports, log files, and others generated during the build process.
It’s generally a good practice to exclude build artifacts from your Git repository because they can be very large. They may also be less portable than your source files, only relevant to a specific environment. Including them in your repository can bloat the size of your repository and make it slower to clone and work with.
To exclude build artifacts from your Git repository, add the"target/“or"build/“directory to your.gitignorefile.
For example:
3. Integrated Development Environment Files
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) files are configuration files, project metadata, and other files generated by your IDE when you create or open a project. These files are specific to each IDE. Your IDE uses these files to configure the project settings.
These files are unnecessary for building or running your application and can often cause issues if committed to a shared Git repository. For example, different people on your team might use different IDEs or versions, and committing IDE-specific files could cause merge conflicts and make it difficult to collaborate on the project.
Since these files are IDE-specific, the files to include in your.gitignorefile will depend on your IDE. Here areGitHub’s .gitignore recommendationsfor some popular IDEs. You can search for your IDE of choice and add the outlined files to your.gitignorefile.
4. Dependency and Package Files
Dependency and package files are files that contain information about the dependencies and packages used by your application. Various build tools, such asthe Node Package Manager(npm), generate these files.
For example, if you use npm to manage dependencies for a JavaScript project, it will create a “node_modules” folder in your project’s root directory. The directory contains all the installed dependencies for your project.
This directory can become very large, especially if your project has many dependencies or some dependencies have large file sizes. By excluding the “node_modules” folder from your Git repository, you can keep it clean and reduce its size.
To avoid adding the “node_modules” directory to your Git repository, add its name to your .gitignore file:
5. Operating System Files
Your operating system, and other system tools, may generate files through normal use. These may include log files, temporary files, and system configuration files. An example is theThumbs.dbfile on Windows and its macOS equivalent, the.DS_Storefile.
It’s generally a good practice to exclude operating system files from your Git repository, as they are specific to your local environment and can differ between different computers and operating systems.
GitHub has recommended .gitignore guidelines forWindows,macOS, andLinux.
The Importance of Version Control
Using version control can significantly improve your workflow and reduce errors and conflicts that may arise when working on a codebase. With version control, you can easily track code changes, review them, and collaborate with team members seamlessly.
However, you should always exclude certain files, such as configuration files, IDE files, and OS files. This will keep the size of your repository down and ensure you don’t leak sensitive information.
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