How to Create a Python .gitignore File

Learn which files and directories to ignore in Python projects, including virtual environments, __pycache__, and pytest data.

Ignoring Python Bytecode

Python automatically compiles source code into bytecode to speed up loading. You should ignore these by adding __pycache__/ and *.py[cod] to your .gitignore.

Ignoring Virtual Environments

Never commit virtual environments as they are large and platform-specific. Ignore common virtual environment directories like venv/, env/, .venv/, and env.bak/.

Ignoring Testing and Coverage Data

If you use pytest or coverage.py, ensure you ignore .pytest_cache/, .coverage, and htmlcov/ to keep your repository clean.