What folders should be git ignored in React Native project?

Question

I'm playing with Facebook/React Native, and when I run git init, I have no idea what should be ignored expect node_modules folder,

Should I commit all iOS folder?

Thanks

Answer 1

React Native CLI creates a .gitignore file when you start a new project:

react-native init <ProjectName>

It covers all the basics that should/can be ignored.

Source: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/master/template/_gitignore

Answer 2

gitignore.io suggests the following .gitignore file for react-native:

Created by https://www.gitignore.io/api/reactnative

### ReactNative ###
# React Native Stack Base
### ReactNative.Xcode Stack ###
# Xcode
#
# gitignore contributors: remember to update Global/Xcode.gitignore, Objective-C.gitignore & Swift.gitignore

## Build generated
build/
DerivedData/

## Various settings
*.pbxuser
!default.pbxuser
*.mode1v3
!default.mode1v3
*.mode2v3
!default.mode2v3
*.perspectivev3
!default.perspectivev3
xcuserdata/

## Other
*.moved-aside
*.xccheckout
*.xcscmblueprint

### ReactNative.Node Stack ###
# Logs
logs
*.log
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Runtime data
pids
*.pid
*.seed
*.pid.lock

# Directory for instrumented libs generated by jscoverage/JSCover
lib-cov

# Coverage directory used by tools like istanbul
coverage

# nyc test coverage
.nyc_output

# Grunt intermediate storage (http://gruntjs.com/creating-plugins#storing-task-files)
.grunt

# Bower dependency directory (https://bower.io/)
bower_components

# node-waf configuration
.lock-wscript

# Compiled binary addons (http://nodejs.org/api/addons.html)
build/Release

# Dependency directories
node_modules/
jspm_packages/

# Typescript v1 declaration files
typings/

# Optional npm cache directory
.npm

# Optional eslint cache
.eslintcache

# Optional REPL history
.node_repl_history

# Output of 'npm pack'
*.tgz

# Yarn Integrity file
.yarn-integrity

# dotenv environment variables file
.env


### ReactNative.Buck Stack ###
buck-out/
.buckconfig.local
.buckd/
.buckversion
.fakebuckversion

### ReactNative.macOS Stack ###
*.DS_Store
.AppleDouble
.LSOverride

# Icon must end with two \r
Icon


# Thumbnails
._*

# Files that might appear in the root of a volume
.DocumentRevisions-V100
.fseventsd
.Spotlight-V100
.TemporaryItems
.Trashes
.VolumeIcon.icns
.com.apple.timemachine.donotpresent

# Directories potentially created on remote AFP share
.AppleDB
.AppleDesktop
Network Trash Folder
Temporary Items
.apdisk

### ReactNative.Gradle Stack ###
.gradle
**/build/

# Ignore Gradle GUI config
gradle-app.setting

# Avoid ignoring Gradle wrapper jar file (.jar files are usually ignored)
!gradle-wrapper.jar

# Cache of project
.gradletasknamecache

# # Work around https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-116898
# gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties

### ReactNative.Android Stack ###
# Built application files
*.apk
*.ap_

# Files for the ART/Dalvik VM
*.dex

# Java class files
*.class

# Generated files
bin/
gen/
out/

# Gradle files
.gradle/

# Local configuration file (sdk path, etc)
local.properties

# Proguard folder generated by Eclipse
proguard/

# Log Files

# Android Studio Navigation editor temp files
.navigation/

# Android Studio captures folder
captures/

# Intellij
*.iml
.idea/workspace.xml
.idea/tasks.xml
.idea/gradle.xml
.idea/dictionaries
.idea/libraries

# External native build folder generated in Android Studio 2.2 and later
.externalNativeBuild

# Freeline
freeline.py
freeline/
freeline_project_description.json

### ReactNative.Linux Stack ###
*~

# temporary files which can be created if a process still has a handle open of a deleted file
.fuse_hidden*

# KDE directory preferences
.directory

# Linux trash folder which might appear on any partition or disk
.Trash-*

# .nfs files are created when an open file is removed but is still being accessed
.nfs*

# End of https://www.gitignore.io/api/reactnative

Answer 3

We suggest this .gitignore: react-native/Examples/SampleApp/.gitignore.

It ignores both user-specific Xcode files and the node_modules dir.

Answer 4

This is a related question：What should Xcode 6 gitignore file include?

It can be divided into three categories:

1. IDE(Webstorm,Xcode) config file,like:.idea/,ios/ProjectName.xcodeproj/xcuserdata
2. version control tools(git,svn) file, like: .git
3. other files，for example,.DS_Store is OSX dir config file

my answer is which have been inspected in practice:

### SVN template
.svn/
### Xcode template
# Xcode
#
# gitignore contributors: remember to update Global/Xcode.gitignore, Objective-C.gitignore & Swift.gitignore

## Build generated
build/
DerivedData/

## Various settings
*.pbxuser
!default.pbxuser
*.mode1v3
!default.mode1v3
*.mode2v3
!default.mode2v3
*.perspectivev3
!default.perspectivev3
xcuserdata/

## Other
*.moved-aside
*.xccheckout
*.xcscmblueprint
### JetBrains template
# Covers JetBrains IDEs: IntelliJ, RubyMine, PhpStorm, AppCode, PyCharm, CLion, Android Studio and Webstorm
# Reference: https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/en-us/articles/206544839

# User-specific stuff:
.idea/workspace.xml
.idea/tasks.xml
.idea/dictionaries
.idea/vcs.xml
.idea/jsLibraryMappings.xml

# Sensitive or high-churn files:
.idea/dataSources.ids
.idea/dataSources.xml
.idea/dataSources.local.xml
.idea/sqlDataSources.xml
.idea/dynamic.xml
.idea/uiDesigner.xml

# Gradle:
.idea/gradle.xml
.idea/libraries
.idea

# Mongo Explorer plugin:
.idea/mongoSettings.xml

## File-based project format:
*.iws

## Plugin-specific files:

# IntelliJ
/out/

# mpeltonen/sbt-idea plugin
.idea_modules/

# JIRA plugin
atlassian-ide-plugin.xml
# Crashlytics plugin (for Android Studio and IntelliJ)
com_crashlytics_export_strings.xml
crashlytics.properties
crashlytics-build.properties
fabric.properties
### TortoiseGit template
# Project-level settings
/.tgitconfig

*.swp

# node_modules/,Xcode and Webstorm will spend lots of time for indexing this dir
node_modules/

# ios/Pods,
ios/Pods/

# OS X temporary files that should never be committed
.DS_Store
src/components/.DS_Store

# user personal info,for example debug info
ios/ProjectName.xcodeproj/project.xcworkspace/
ios/ProjectName.xcodeproj/xcuserdata

# Podfile versions
ios/Podfile.lock

# Created by .ignore support plugin (hsz.mobi)

Hope it helps you!

Answer 5

It's probably worth noting that react-native init <project-name> generates a .gitignore file for you. This will likely be up to date with React Native's current tooling and build outputs. So this should be a good starting point.

Using react-native-cli 1.0.0 and react-native 0.36.0 generated the following .gitignore file:

# OSX
#
.DS_Store

# Xcode
#
build/
*.pbxuser
!default.pbxuser
*.mode1v3
!default.mode1v3
*.mode2v3
!default.mode2v3
*.perspectivev3
!default.perspectivev3
xcuserdata
*.xccheckout
*.moved-aside
DerivedData
*.hmap
*.ipa
*.xcuserstate
project.xcworkspace

# Android/IJ
#
*.iml
.idea
.gradle
local.properties

# node.js
#
node_modules/
npm-debug.log

# BUCK
buck-out/
\.buckd/
android/app/libs
android/keystores/debug.keystore

Answer 6

If you look at the React Native examples:

https://github.com/facebook/react-native/tree/master/Examples

Each one has a directory with a contents similar to the iOS directory generated by react-native-cli. Looking further into the Xcode project file, it's referenced in there too, and look at the contents - there's things like the launch screen.

So yes, the iOS directory is needed.

Regarding node_modules, I suggest you look at this answer which provides more information:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/19416403/125680