Gitleaks
Gitleaks detects hard-coded secrets such as API keys and passwords in git repositories and files.
Legal & ethical use. Use this tool only on systems, networks and data that you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorised access or scanning can break computer-misuse laws (for example Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and equivalents elsewhere). Practise in your own lab or in authorised environments such as CTFs.
What it is used for
- Scan a repository history for committed secrets
- Run as a pre-commit hook
Key features
- Git history scanning
- Customisable rules
- CI and pre-commit integration
Installation
See the repository README for packages, Docker and Homebrew.
Beginner usage guide
Run it on a repository you own; if it finds a real secret, rotate the secret first, then clean the history.
Example commands
Run these only against your own lab or authorised targets. Placeholder addresses such as 192.0.2.x are documentation ranges.
Scan the current repository
gitleaks detect --source . -vScans the git history and prints each finding verbosely.
Keep learning
🚩 Practice challenge: Secrets in History easy
References
Source verification
Last reviewed: 2026-10-27
Links checked over HTTP: 2026-10-27 07:51 UTC — official: 200, docs: 200, repo: 200
Commands were written from the official documentation and have not been executed on this site; test them in your lab.