Problem Statement
The node_modules directory contains all your project's dependencies. Since these files can be large and are recreated using package.json, it's best practice to exclude them from version control.
Solution
To ignore the node_modules folder from being tracked by Git
Open (or create) a .gitignore file in the root of your project.
Add the following line
node_modules/
Save the file.
If node_modules was already being tracked, remove it using
git rm -r --cached node_modules
Then commit the changes
git commit -m "Ignore node_modules folder"
Also Read: Node JS Use Cases: When, Why & How to Use Node.js?
Push to your repository
git push origin main
Conclusion
Using a .gitignore file helps maintain a clean repository and reduces unnecessary data. Excluding node_modules also ensures faster cloning and a smaller repo size.
