Do I need to commit .gitignore?

Yes — .gitignore should be committed to the repository so all collaborators benefit from the same ignore rules.

How do I add custom patterns?

Open your .gitignore file and add the pattern on a new line. Use # for comments, * for wildcards, / to match directories, and ! to un-ignore a previously ignored path.

How do I ignore a file that is already tracked?

Adding a file to .gitignore does not remove it from tracking if it was previously committed. Run: git rm --cached to stop tracking it without deleting the file locally.

Should I commit go.sum?

Yes — go.sum contains cryptographic checksums of module dependencies and should always be committed to ensure reproducible builds.

Should I commit vendor/?

It depends. Vendoring is common in Go for reproducibility without a module proxy. If you use go mod vendor, commit vendor/. Otherwise ignore it.

.gitignore for Go

Go build output, test binaries, and Go module download cache.

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10 patterns · 205 B

# Generated by DevZone Tools — https://devzone.tools/tools/gitignore-generator
# Templates: Go
# 2026-04-20

# ---- Go ----
# Go
*.exe
*.exe~
*.dll
*.so
*.dylib
*.test
*.out
go.work
go.work.sum
/vendor/

What this template ignores

Ignores compiled Go binaries (*.exe, *.out), test binaries (*.test), shared libraries, and the vendor/ directory if using go mod vendor.

Common additions

+.env — environment variable files
+bin/ — if you output binaries to a local bin/ directory

Commonly paired with

docker make Combine →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to commit .gitignore?: Yes — .gitignore should be committed to the repository so all collaborators benefit from the same ignore rules.
How do I add custom patterns?: Open your .gitignore file and add the pattern on a new line. Use # for comments, * for wildcards, / to match directories, and ! to un-ignore a previously ignored path.
How do I ignore a file that is already tracked?: Adding a file to .gitignore does not remove it from tracking if it was previously committed. Run: git rm --cached <file> to stop tracking it without deleting the file locally.
Should I commit go.sum?: Yes — go.sum contains cryptographic checksums of module dependencies and should always be committed to ensure reproducible builds.
Should I commit vendor/?: It depends. Vendoring is common in Go for reproducibility without a module proxy. If you use go mod vendor, commit vendor/. Otherwise ignore it.

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