My Default .gitignore File

Every time I create a new Git repo, I always have to go look for a previous copy of my .gitignore file. I thought it would be a great idea to just post it up for all to find. This template covers .NET, Node.js, and common development artifacts.

Update 2025: I’ve completely rewritten this for modern development workflows. The original 2012 version had patterns for Visual Studio 2010 - we’ve come a long way!

Quick Start

For most projects, I recommend using gitignore.io to generate a tailored .gitignore. But here’s my default starting point:

# Build outputs
[Bb]in/
[Oo]bj/
[Dd]ebug/
[Rr]elease/
x64/
x86/
build/
dist/
out/

# .NET specific
*.user
*.suo
*.userosscache
*.sln.docstates
*.userprefs
project.lock.json
.vs/
*.nupkg
*.snupkg

# Node.js
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*
.pnpm-store/

# IDE and editors
.idea/
.vscode/*
!.vscode/settings.json
!.vscode/tasks.json
!.vscode/launch.json
!.vscode/extensions.json
*.swp
*.swo
*~

# Environment and secrets
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.local.json
appsettings.Development.json
secrets.json

# OS generated
.DS_Store
.DS_Store?
Thumbs.db
ehthumbs.db
Desktop.ini

# Testing
[Tt]est[Rr]esults/
coverage/
*.coverage
*.coveragexml
.nyc_output/

# Logs
logs/
*.log

# Package managers
packages/
.nuget/

# Temporary files
*.tmp
*.temp
*.bak
*.cache

Why These Patterns?

Build outputs (bin/, obj/, dist/): These are generated files that should never be committed. They bloat your repo and cause merge conflicts.

Environment files (.env): Never commit secrets! Use .env.example files to document required variables instead.

IDE folders (.vs/, .idea/): Personal IDE settings shouldn’t be shared. Exception: I do commit shared VSCode settings for team consistency.

Node modules: At 500MB+, this folder is the reason node_modules became a meme. Always ignore it.

Pro Tips

1. Use global gitignore for personal patterns:

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

2. Check what’s being ignored:

   git status --ignored

3. Stop tracking a file that was already committed:

   git rm --cached <file>

For more development tips, check out my PowerShell guide on recursively deleting files by extension or learn about building better connection strings in .NET.