.gitignore files
.gitignore file
Git Ignore File
A list of file patterns Git should not track.
What opens a .gitignore file
- Windows
- Visual Studio Code, Notepad (built in), Notepad++
- macOS
- Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in), nano
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in), nano
What a .gitignore file is
A .gitignore lists glob patterns for files Git will leave out of a repository — build output, dependency folders, .env files, editor cruft. It is plain text, one pattern per line, with # for comments. Adding a pattern does not remove a file already committed: that needs git rm --cached, which is why secrets stay in history long after someone "added it to gitignore".
Converting it
A .gitignore file is commonly converted to .txt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .gitignore
- Full name
- Git Ignore File
- Category
- Data
- MIME type
- text/plain
- Created by
- Git project
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .gitignore file?
- On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. A list of file patterns Git should not track.
- What is a .gitignore file?
- Git Ignore File. A .gitignore lists glob patterns for files Git will leave out of a repository — build output, dependency folders, .env files, editor cruft. It is plain text, one pattern per line, with # for comments.
- Can I convert a .gitignore file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .txt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .csv — Comma-Separated Values A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange form
- .json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
- .xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
- .yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
- .log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
- .torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
- .dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
- .vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
- .sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
- .ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
- .sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
- .db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place