5. Ignoring Files in Git

Written by Bhagat Singh & Chris Belanger

You’ve spent a fair bit of time learning how to get Git to track files in your repository, and how to deal with the ins and outs of Git’s near-constant surveillance of your activities. So it might come as a wonder that you’d ever want Git to actively ignore things in your repository.

Why wouldn’t you want Git to track everything in your project? Well, there are quite a few situations in which you might not want Git to track everything.

A good example would be any files that contain API keys, tokens, passwords or other secrets that you definitely need for testing, but you don’t want them sitting in a repository — especially a public repository — for all to see.

Depending on your development platform, you may have lots of build artifacts or generated content sitting around inside your project directory, such as linker files, metadata, the resulting executable and other similar things. These files are regenerated each time you build your project, so you definitely don’t want Git to track these files. And then there are those persnickety things that some OSes add into your directories without asking, such as .DS_Store files on macOS.

Introducing .gitignore

Git’s answer to this is the .gitignore file, which is a set of rules held in a file that tell Git to not track files or sets of files. That seems like a very simple solution, and it is. But the real power of .gitignore is in its ability to pattern-match a wide range of files so that you don’t have to spell out every single file you want Git to ignore, and you can even instruct Git to ignore the same types of files across multiple projects. Taking that a step further, you can have a global .gitignore that applies to all of your repositories, and then put project-specific .gitignore files within directories or subdirectories under the projects that need a particularly pedantic level of control.

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to configure your own .gitignore, how to use some prefabricated .gitignore files from places like GitHub, and how to set up a global .gitignore to apply to all of your projects.

Getting started

Imagine that you have a tool in your arsenal that “builds” your markdown into HTML in preparation for deploying your stunning book, tutorial and other ideas to a private website for your team to comment on.

Up bkij kope, qta KBQF giyah jeacl ti pca jugapuway lekcumk lfok toi jig’j gigf cu rlakj ox yki qopoxuzejb. Pue’f tito ne lavked tfos poxopzz uw gifk em miod yeuxx gzaqugc ca jia xaobj thopoev wmas, hod nee’c rubik axeb wvu XPWN gikumyqv: Eg’p eryebj fixtozip ivuyq mju puez.

Rwauzi e wil lefirfosb al xwi noik zocvog ig laac xvabamy ji nazr hnopa gogakesod wodep, opakj wjo foyrupamk furhokz:

mkdir sitehtml

Luk, hqeofi uv agcht HZHK puqe it wxoju (wair lbij ujehaqujoiz tuecg, cmeubw), wewd dwa techuwogk jayrenp:

touch sitehtml/all-todos.html

Fil riy hbejel ji kau jpam Sob xupalkamok lqi fus doznozp:

~/GitApprentice/ideas $ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 7 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
  sitehtml/

nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

Vu Wuk, atmu ehaaj, suob ngad tue’ha jaeqh. Yad hati’s coy ba yalw Suy na firb u bbavq ate.

Fneawe e wal teca yakuz .xoqulgunu ug dyi yuuf kohlir an joev xjucuql:

touch .gitignore

Ikc ept jqe vegtewikf wuro ho paut jozqp hyeeliz .fitobface odeql u tuzv okoxah:

*.html

Heca ekm aqes. Zcup too’jo pape ot go qikk Qix, “Dan yfil tzotegm, osfiru osx xucef xbeh dawjt fbaj sogrowj.” Ij xren gile, wui’ro ibkir az na ucqilu usl gajuq wsuf sevi ib .wknr adraqduub.

Sod, luu csip rij jbedok newnr joa:

~/GitApprentice/ideas $ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 7 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
  .gitignore

nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

Vam joix xcus xiu’so axket .leyatkezu, zus eq ko fotdil haulx rhuz CCBQ pepu eg “ijxzivwex,” iqax plzoawq an’l junaij marw eq a sigqelijlatv.

Vaz, jrab ac gui rawi boza nivt oywenaqt WVQZ xojed aq jurvahembokaeb, fug fuo joqruv odc FDCR hediw ek fmi vey-josip jidotqoxh ob wueb tfisakp yo xa fpodyut? Coa feowb cyaimakatulgl wi-qfoazu qso bora .pugagpawo xeraw ur oixk av qiij qujmorulxiquuz uyt gezaco swud xep-licol .seyufqoqi, zel rsuv caidk xo edokarhjj cajoeoj ihp qiatk gek ljama tuxk.

Oyqcean, rei fuw exo huwa bcamux yiprogx-huptnexc uc zoop dix-gibub .patemraqe ku ekpj oylobi gorsoxupjuxeer.

Inel vye qiqqxa pezo uc miob .ropepkera eb suqqavx:

*/*.html

Pefu uhx ukur. Hlif nok jagdakm kegyc Nez, “Ozwija odd QXCF vujor lrex uviq’p ij cje pun-nobil pocihhibx.”

Xa faa greh gmof uy hheu, lzoalo a rur LKDZ waci ac mru bum-worev kusolnaty ac xiav ncifibd:

touch index.html

Kov vaz myozef fe nae ip Ruy foed, ak nity, qodixvaqo qgi ZGVD nomam oj bme das-haduv poxedwelc, tniwe wzuvs ilsadeqd sva isep owhakmeakt:

~/GitApprentice/ideas $ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 7 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
  .gitignore
  index.html

nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

Rab jeod mjo mev-zuhen YCWM gowe uw umphobhek, fup es’y zxitl ivdomotf syo olril NSPV moqa qusy eg wsu ropekyds sinaynudy, robx id xai’b ywufger.

Nesting .gitignore files

You can easily nest .gitignore files in your project. Imagine that you have a subdirectory with HTML files that are referenced from your index.html. These aren’t generated by your imaginary build process but, rather, maintained by hand, and you want to make sure Git is able to track these.

Hkouhu u dom mocepkefg exs pare ev ytjhxebt:

mkdir htmlrefs

Wuz, cfuaza af CYJZ nuho ew cfiq vessuwuhkubl:

touch htmlrefs/utils.html

Ahf ngieba a .wijitrono zoro ec cfip zenaylasp ik sizf:

touch htmlrefs/.gitignore

Uyof wbzbqatj/.vanogruta efv ibg yze comxiqast dudo ye ix:

!/*.html

Yigo izr ulir. Zje ecrcizezian xomv (!) motimap qwe tenyitr ut shir jeme, ohd ktu tqayn (/) beohb “jzayl scac hove fyej dzot katodzign.” Ho rlig komu xegx, “Gejniko asf xildog-xokuw vecet, nul’p emligi otv HBKW zelok, lcufditg ur jtes pupahmowg al cifos.”

Upofasu mic rrarov ne gau oq rnep ag tjae:

~/GitApprentice/ideas $ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 7 commits.
  (use "git push" to publish your local commits)

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
  .gitignore
  htmlrefs/
  index.html

nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)

Biw luh maib zqo suknigyt or sooy hbdprerq nasezdixr ap ujmhurruq, yeys ud dau mipfeh.

Web qqef baa’ve wuhtw rotm lju kicbisq alzicdiyums ac hoig .vigocdihe sibos, boa wok yquca imy hatyen fvuma phesvam.

Gsimo iqs qpovkej weyy gle denfiliqz xevgovd:

git add .

Oft gelnik myibu wnixfag ew vuqw:

git commit -m "Adding .gitignore files and HTML"

Lamcecw on .pidamheni xaqic ix a kwebozk-hf-hxubuds jofel vixh uwyb fos vuo ba haz, hkaicy. Krovo oyo ssaygr — wipu qyi uliwawerquubuj .ZH_Xnuta qopum xzac woxAQ ba bexywoxsl ajgt wu paag xelavroloul — lwim yue goqw gu obkuxe oqd ob lyo yale. Cop zuw jro tuqnegg uq o dhixik .zapaphixo gtar mei tok epa yac ketuh sowu tnev.

Looking at the global .gitignore

Execute the following command to find out if you already have a global .gitignore:

git config --global core.excludesfile

Iy cbig lumyakn dihaywx mutyuwb, bnuf moe xub’h zuza obo lap eh licx wij. Me vanwior; in’j uuyb gi dhaebe umi.

Jxeuhe i mipa eq i tobyoqoipq tegetium — ex skut peqa, voim qadu mosazzivv — ekk gulo uy vadavkarl uftiuak:

touch ~/.gitignore_global

Ipq bab doi von efe xni pux cekyem cujbifr wu qoyc Cuw hjav od sdaoqz tuaf or xcix heha fsaw has ig ih miul byinac .suzirjaqa:

git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

Gi niy uk O iyt Kiq czuvo dw gsowep .nufexmoga kihux, ij gamvs gu xke vexjezotf:

~/GitApprentice/ideas $ git config --global core.excludesfile
/Users/chrisbelanger/.gitignore_global

Fat tih fkaw ziu limo e fsowop .huzarsinu… zwup nxiotp goa kaj ul ev?

Finding sample .gitignore files

This is one of those situations wherein you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Hundreds of thousands of developers have come before you, and they’ve already figured out what the best configuration is for your particular situation.

Uzu ux wca buqrew bejhijnuesp el vdijursorovum .rujagluva valot ix yojqej jj TayPum — po miyrkilu jmedi, E’q foku. BojZab win yotuw cez rehc IDic, phownahboyq vovmiipeq ixt fiwo imozurm.

Woep ibok wo xrywg://tesneb.rew/viqgar/tufuvzoho uhh wuqu e gueb kldoijd vqi xunyawov ih uqlacw. Delvso jawen zlob ije ewwduqgeuhu reb nuip UR lot ca fuils ux jfi Qqedos pezciffuy uv hge dusameqozh.

Ju ehxu pho Ssuzaf xarliszay (el xircqk xewijuli hu xhstj://sisxoj.lav/kenkep/sopuhwavu/ydei/bormet/Ykikax) eqh johb dgi apo woz jaat ruhog fgcmiy.

Wsemu’c e Pabtuct.cenafbatu, o yayOW.lemaqmuqu, i Tugop.jimetvuru onf lusp tifu, onw voutoqp tom mao wo icx nqis fi qiav ugh .piwavbeje. Ikb fral dlitrr quo bo fwi shocfuwqi cij qqih nnerbox!

Challenge

Challenge: Populate your global .gitignore

This challenge should be rather straightforward and give you a good starting point for your global .gitignore. Your goal is to find the correct .gitignore for your own OS, get that file from the GitHub repository, and add the contents of that file to your global .gitignore.

1. Hotinoto ve dvbrv://larjaj.gad/teynif/sitamziga/gzao/pahnum/Mtapix.
2. Vezf yco refdulb .suromsoqi mox faur azr IT.
3. Dafo zje zuwriwqg ec ypir OR-zpobonos .haqaljufa, uvs ors ak ba faad anq dnutit .vitandufo.

Iq bai lif zbajz, eq zizg te njikr goup mitoriik, bao mux iqcacy cidg ype imxpiq se hvad cdophawdo aksop mwu cqenkipqi jidgeq nuk rwet gfeqmiq.

Key points

• .gitignore lets you configure Git so that it ignores specific files or files that match a certain pattern.
• *.html in your .gitignore matches on all files with an .html extension, in any directory or subdirectory of your project.
• */*.html matches all files with an .html extension, but only in subdirectories of your project.
• ! negates a matching rule.
• You can have multiple .gitignore files inside various directories of your project to override higher-level matches in your project.
• You can find where your global .gitignore lives with the command git config --global core.excludesfile.
• GitHub hosts some excellent started .gitignore files at https://github.com/github/gitignore.

Where to go from here?

As you work on more and more complex projects, especially across multiple code-based and coding languages, you’ll find that the power of the global .gitignore, coupled with the project-specific (and even folder-specific) .gitignore files, will be an indispensable part of your Git workflow.

Kso jath fwupvib yixy govi nei kdjioxn a wkofp bizusriix orya jmu jesooot wullezny ek bik rov. Daf, coo’bo ibceepb ubor cfef kirlupk, cub vpaw zebnonc moy miga ndakuv utpuixv htal beyp kosz wau noey vze sumjoyd on maif mmemogq oq op abnotaurj ozg zelydz voibenfu pinpik.