{"id":4406,"date":"2026-06-25T11:10:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/?p=4406"},"modified":"2026-06-25T11:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:10:49","slug":"the-3-ways-to-ignore-files-in-git","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/06\/25\/the-3-ways-to-ignore-files-in-git\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Ways to Ignore Files in Git"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You probably know .gitignore<\/code> \u2014 but Git actually gives us 3 different levels<\/strong> of file exclusion. Each one has its own purpose. Let’s explore them all, simply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Ignore Files?<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some files should never<\/strong> be pushed to your remote repository. Here are the most common ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Passwords & API keys<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0.env<\/code>,\u00a0config_secret.json<\/code><\/li>
  • Auto-generated folders<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0node_modules\/<\/code>,\u00a0__pycache__\/<\/code><\/li>
  • Personal notes<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0notes.txt<\/code>,\u00a0todo.md<\/code><\/li>
  • OS system files<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0.DS_Store<\/code>\u00a0(Mac),\u00a0Thumbs.db<\/code>\u00a0(Windows)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Method 1 \u2014\u00a0.gitignore<\/code>\u00a0(The Classic, Shared with Your Team)<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a0Where is it? <\/strong> <\/em>At the root of our project<\/strong>, right next to your code:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to see it?<\/em><\/strong> It’s a hidden file (starts with a dot):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Mac\/Linux<\/strong>: run ls -la<\/code> in your terminal<\/li>
    • Windows<\/strong>: enable “Show hidden files” in File Explorer<\/li>
    • VS Code<\/strong>: it shows up directly in the file explorer<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      How to use it?<\/em><\/strong> Open .gitignore<\/code> and add the files or folders you want to ignore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      # Ignore the node_modules folder\r\nnode_modules\/\r\n\r\n# Ignore environment files (passwords, API keys)\r\n.env\r\n\r\n# Ignore all log files\r\n*.log\r\n\r\n# Ignore a specific file\r\nconfig_secret.json<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      When to use it?<\/em><\/strong>   For rules that the whole team<\/strong> should follow: node_modules<\/code>, .env<\/code>, build files, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      PS:<\/span><\/strong> This file is pushed to the remote<\/strong>. Everyone on your team can see exactly what you’ve excluded.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Method 2 \u2014\u00a0.git\/info\/exclude<\/code>\u00a0(Local & Secret, Per Project)<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      \u00a0Where is it?<\/em><\/strong>  Inside the hidden .git<\/code> folder<\/strong> of our project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      How to access it?<\/em><\/strong>  From our terminal, at the root of our project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      # Open with VS Code\r\ncode .git\/info\/exclude\r\n\r\n# Or edit with nano\r\nnano .git\/info\/exclude\r\n\r\n# Or just display it\r\ncat .git\/info\/exclude<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      How to use it?<\/em><\/strong>  The syntax is exactly the same<\/strong> as .gitignore<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      # My personal notes on this project\r\nnotes.txt\r\n\r\n# My local config file\r\nconfig_local.json\r\n\r\n# My personal test folder\r\nmy-tests\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      When to use it?<\/em><\/strong>  For personal files tied to a specific project<\/strong> that we don’t want to share with our team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Real-world example:<\/strong> You created a notes.txt<\/code> file to jot down ideas while working on a team project. You don’t want to push it, but you also don’t want to touch the shared .gitignore<\/code> for something so personal ? .git\/info\/exclude<\/code> is perfect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Key advantage<\/span><\/strong> :  This file is never pushed<\/strong>. Your team doesn’t know it exists. It’s completely invisible from the remote.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Method 3 \u2014\u00a0~\/.config\/git\/ignore<\/code>\u00a0(Global & Secret, Across All Projects)<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      Where is it?<\/em><\/strong>  In your home directory<\/strong>, not inside any specific project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      How to access it?<\/em><\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n
      # Open with VS Code\r\ncode ~\/.config\/git\/ignore\r\n\r\n# Create the file if it doesn't exist yet\r\nmkdir -p ~\/.config\/git\r\ntouch ~\/.config\/git\/ignore<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      How to use it?<\/em><\/strong>  Add files you want to ignore in every single project<\/strong> on your machine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      # macOS system files\r\n.DS_Store\r\n\r\n# Windows system files\r\nThumbs.db\r\ndesktop.ini\r\n\r\n# Editor files\r\n.vscode\/\r\n.idea\/\r\n*.swp<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      When to use it?<\/em><\/strong>  For files tied to your personal environment<\/strong> that show up in every project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Real-world example:<\/strong> On macOS, every folder automatically generates a .DS_Store<\/code> file. Instead of adding it to every project’s .gitignore<\/code>, add it here once<\/strong> \u2014 and it’s ignored everywhere, forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      <\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      How to Check Why a File Is Being Ignored<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      # Ignored by .gitignore\r\n$ git check-ignore -v .DS_Store\r\n.gitignore:3:.DS_Store          .DS_Store\r\n\r\n# Ignored by .git\/info\/exclude\r\n$ git check-ignore -v notes.txt\r\n.git\/info\/exclude:7:notes.txt   notes.txt\r\n\r\n# Ignored by the global file\r\n$ git check-ignore -v .DS_Store\r\n\/Users\/yourname\/.config\/git\/ignore:2:.DS_Store    .DS_Store<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      If the command returns no output<\/strong>, the file is not being ignored by anyone.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Summary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      • .gitignore<\/code><\/strong> ? for rules shared with your team<\/strong><\/li>
      • .git\/info\/exclude<\/code><\/strong> ? for your personal files on a specific project<\/strong>, in total privacy<\/li>
      • ~\/.config\/git\/ignore<\/code><\/strong> ? for your personal files across all projects<\/strong>, set it once and forget it<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
        You probably know .gitignore \u2014 but Git actually gives us 3 different levels of file exclusion. Each one has its own purpose. Let’s explore them all, simply. Why Ignore Files? Some files should never be pushed to your remote repository. Here are the most common ones: Passwords & API keys\u00a0\u2014\u00a0.env,\u00a0config_secret.json Auto-generated folders\u00a0\u2014\u00a0node_modules\/,\u00a0__pycache__\/ Personal notes\u00a0\u2014\u00a0notes.txt,\u00a0todo.md OS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[920,61,707,956,1139,1051],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4406"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4412,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406\/revisions\/4412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nguenkam.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}