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 terraform.tfstate?

Never commit tfstate locally — use remote state (S3, Terraform Cloud) with state locking. tfstate can contain plaintext secrets.

Should I commit .terraform.lock.hcl?

Yes — .terraform.lock.hcl pins provider versions for reproducibility. Remove it from this ignore list if you follow this recommendation.

.gitignore for Terraform

Terraform state files, variable files with secrets, and provider plugins.

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Terraform

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14 patterns · 339 B

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

# ---- Terraform ----
# Terraform
.terraform/
.terraform.lock.hcl
*.tfstate
*.tfstate.*
crash.log
crash.*.log
*.tfvars
*.tfvars.json
override.tf
override.tf.json
*_override.tf
*_override.tf.json
.terraformrc
terraform.rc

What this template ignores

Ignores .terraform/ provider plugins, terraform.tfstate (state with sensitive resource data), *.tfvars (variable files often containing secrets), and crash logs.

Commonly paired with

ansible docker kubernetes 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 terraform.tfstate?: Never commit tfstate locally — use remote state (S3, Terraform Cloud) with state locking. tfstate can contain plaintext secrets.
Should I commit .terraform.lock.hcl?: Yes — .terraform.lock.hcl pins provider versions for reproducibility. Remove it from this ignore list if you follow this recommendation.

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