● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Git .gitignore Strategy: Ignore Everything by Default and Explicitly Allow Files
Key points
- Default .gitignore behavior allows all files, then selectively ignores.
- Proposed strategy ignores everything by default, then explicitly allows files.
- Example .gitignore shows how to allow specific files like source code and module files.
- This method helps avoid committing unwanted local files or environment variables.
The Problem with Default Git Ignoring
Developers often accidentally commit unwanted files such as .DS_Store, node_modules, IDE configuration files, or environment variables to Git repositories. This necessitates a cleanup process involving adding files to .gitignore and removing them from repository history.
Flipping the .gitignore Approach
An alternative .gitignore strategy suggests ignoring everything by default and only explicitly allowing specific files to be tracked. This reverses the common practice of allowing everything and then selectively ignoring files.
Practical Implementation
For a Go project, this strategy can be implemented with a .gitignore file containing entries like `*` (to ignore everything), followed by `!.gitignore`, `!*.go`, `!README.md`, `!go.mod`, and `!go.sum` to explicitly allow the .gitignore file itself, Go source files, the README, and Go module/dependency files. This ensures only designated files are tracked by Git.
Benefits and Considerations
This method prevents accidental commits of local files and environment variables. While not suitable for every repository or developer, it offers an alternative for projects with many local files that should not be tracked. The `git check-ignore -v` command can be used to verify if a path is ignored.
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Reporting from
A .gitignore strategy is proposed where all files are ignored by default, and only specific, necessary files are explicitly allowed for tracking. This approach aims to prevent accidental commits of unwanted local files and environment variables into Git repositories.