Git-secrets
Prevents you from committing secrets and credentials into git repositories.
Overview
git-secrets is a command-line tool that can be installed as a Git hook to prevent the accidental committing of secrets. It scans commits, commit messages, and merges for common patterns of sensitive information (like AWS access keys) and user-configured prohibited patterns. If a secret is found, the commit is rejected.
✨ Key Features
- Scans commits and commit messages
- Prevents accidental secret exposure
- Configurable prohibited patterns (regex)
- Integrates as a client-side or server-side Git hook
- Open source
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Simplicity and ease of setup as a Git hook
- Focus on prevention rather than just detection
- Developed and maintained by AWS Labs
Unique Value: Provides a simple, free, and effective way to prevent the most common cause of secret leakage: accidental commits to source control.
🎯 Use Cases (3)
✅ Best For
- Installing as a pre-commit hook on developer machines to provide immediate feedback.
- Using in a CI/CD pipeline to scan repositories for any secrets that may have been missed.
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Finding secrets that are already deep in the Git history (better tools exist for historical scanning).
- Advanced secret management (it's a prevention tool, not a vault).
🏆 Alternatives
While other tools are more powerful for historical or deep repository scanning, git-secrets excels at the simple, preventative task of blocking a commit before it happens.
💻 Platforms
✅ Offline Mode Available
🔌 Integrations
💰 Pricing
Free tier: The tool is completely free.
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