GitHub gitignore templates: Curated .gitignore Files
/gitignore
GitHub gitignore templates is the official set of .gitignore files behind the chooser you see when starting a new repo on GitHub.com. It's a genuinely solid starting point for a mainstream language or editor, not a finished answer โ you still skim the file and adjust it for your own project's quirks. Reach for it when your stack is ordinary; expect to write your own rules, or dig into the community folder, when it isn't.
What is GitHub's gitignore Collection?
GitHub gitignore templates are a collection of .gitignore files kept in the github/gitignore repository, the same list GitHub.com draws from to populate its template chooser when you create a new repository or file. The templates sit in three tiers: a curated root set for common languages and technologies, a Global folder for editors, tools, and operating systems, and a community folder for more specialized or version-specific templates.
Understanding the Template Structure
- โRoot folder holds the current, common-use templates for popular languages and technologies, framed in the README as rules with real purpose for someone just starting out.
- โGlobal folder covers editor, tool, and operating-system exclusions that make sense across many unrelated projects instead of one language.
- โcommunity folder holds specialized templates for languages, tools, and projects that haven't made it into the curated root set.
- โVersioning is strict: the root always carries the current, unversioned template, while older version-specific variants move to community/ with the version number embedded in the filename.
- โA quality bar gates what reaches the root โ a template needs a curated set of rules for a specific language, framework, tool, or environment, not a sprawling list of files one software version happens to install.
- โSpecialized templates under community/ are expected to note related templates in a header comment, the way the README's own community/DotNet/InforCRM.gitignore example recommends pairing with VisualStudio.gitignore.
Applying gitignore Templates
The most direct route is the one GitHub already wires up: creating a new repo or adding a new file on GitHub.com surfaces a .gitignore chooser that reads from this collection, so picking your language there hands you the current root template with no extra steps. Outside that flow, copy the relevant root template into your project as .gitignore, and layer in any Global/ entries for your editor or OS on top. The README recommends folding Global templates into either your machine-wide git config or your project file if you want those rules to stick permanently, and reaching for community/ once you adopt a more specialized framework or tool. For the mechanics of how .gitignore patterns actually work, the README points to the Pro Git book's Ignoring Files chapter, GitHub's own Ignoring Files help article, and the gitignore(5) man page rather than restating that material itself.
Strengths
- โFeeds directly into GitHub.com's own repository- and file-creation chooser, so picking a template there is this repo's content, not a third-party mirror.
- โRoot set is curated rather than crowd-dumped: the README's own quality bar keeps each template to a focused set of rules for one language, framework, or tool.
- โGlobal folder keeps editor and OS noise separate from language-specific rules, so a template stays reusable across unrelated projects.
- โcommunity folder gives narrower or older-version templates somewhere to live instead of forcing everything through the strict root bar.
- โCC0-1.0 dedication means no licensing friction to copy, adapt, or bundle a template into your own tooling.
Scope and Contribution Philosophy
- โณNo guarantee of full coverage โ the README is explicit that the goal is curating frequently useful templates, not listing every language or tool that exists.
- โณGetting a new template merged isn't fast or guaranteed: the README says a submission may not be accepted right away and could only reach the root later, based on interest.
- โณThe exact acceptance bar lives in a separate CONTRIBUTING.md the README points to but doesn't reproduce, so you won't find the full rules in the README itself.
- โณTemplates tied to a specific software version never sit at the root โ they land in community/ with the version baked into the filename, so you have to know to look there.
- โณThis is a static file collection, not a generator: nothing here merges several templates together for you automatically.
Other Approaches to Ignoring Files
Frequently Asked Questions
GitHub gitignore templates are licensed under CC0-1.0, a public domain dedication listed as the repository's LICENSE, meaning essentially no usage restrictions apply.
Contributing follows a fork-and-pull-request flow: fork the repo, create a branch, make your changes, and send a pull request from that branch to the main branch, or edit directly through GitHub's web interface, which forks and prompts a pull request automatically. Contributions need to follow the project's Contributing Guidelines.
GitHub gitignore templates are released under CC0-1.0, a public domain dedication, so using them in commercial projects is permitted and doesn't require attribution.
GitHub gitignore templates keeps editor- and OS-specific rules in the Global folder, separate from the language-specific templates at the root. The README suggests merging Global entries into your machine's global git config or a project template if you want them to stick around.
GitHub gitignore templates keeps only the current, unversioned template at the root; older version-specific variants move into the community folder with the version number embedded in the filename, so maintainers can keep supporting software still in use.
GitHub gitignore templates does not aim to cover every tool or language that exists. The README says the goal is curating frequently useful templates rather than a complete inventory, so niche stacks may be thin or missing.
The problem it solves
GitHub needed a maintained source of ignore rules to drive the .gitignore option in its own repository- and file-creation screens, instead of shipping something hand-rolled or letting every new repo start with nothing. Before a list like this exists, developers either copy a stale example from an old project, guess at what a given language's build tools scatter around, or skip a .gitignore entirely and accidentally commit dependency folders and IDE files. This repo gives that chooser โ and anyone browsing it directly โ a curated per-language answer instead.
Best use cases
- โขPicking a starting .gitignore straight from the template chooser when you create a new repository on GitHub.com.
- โขGrabbing a language or framework template from the root folder to drop into an existing project.
- โขFolding the relevant Global/ entries for your editor or OS into your machine's global git config so personal junk stays out of every repo without cluttering project files.
- โขDigging through community/ for a framework or tool template that hasn't reached the curated root set yet.
- โขPulling an older, version-specific template out of community/ for legacy software still in use.
How to install / try
There's nothing to install here. This is a set of plain-text files, not a package or CLI. GitHub built this repo specifically to feed the .gitignore chooser you see when starting a new repository or file, so trying it can be as simple as picking a language there. To grab a template outside that flow, open the matching file in the github/gitignore repository on GitHub.com and copy its contents into your project's own .gitignore. No package manager entry or programmatic API for pulling templates is documented in the README.
Who should try it โ and who should skip
Reach for GitHub gitignore templates if you're starting a repo in a mainstream language and want a curated ignore list instead of typing rules from memory, or if you maintain your own machine's global git config and want ready-made editor and OS entries. Skip browsing this repo directly if your stack is obscure enough that it's likely buried in community/ or missing outright โ check there first, or plan to write your own rules.
Related repositories
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