.gitignore is a text file that tells Git which files or folders should be ignored in a project. It's essential to avoid committing unwanted files to the repository.

• Dependency files: node_modules/, vendor/, packages/
• Config files: .env, .env.local
• Build outputs: dist/, build/, out/
• System files: .DS_Store, Thumbs.db
• Logs: *.log, logs/