# GitGuardian/ggshield

Detect and validate 500+ types of hardcoded secrets with advanced checks. Use it as a pre-commit hook, GitHub Action, or CLI for proactive secret detection and security.

Repository: https://github.com/GitGuardian/ggshield
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ggshield
Homepage: https://gitguardian.com
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: devsecops, security, credentials, apikey, key, code, leak, scanning, precommit, secrets-detection, secrets-management
Last push: 2026-08-26T13:11:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2326, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 7, "gap_med": 24, "n_releases_24m": 32}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1992, forks 216 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:03.159900+00:00)

## What it is
ggshield is a CLI application from GitGuardian that detects over 500 types of hardcoded secrets in files, git history, and CI environments using GitGuardian's public scanning API. It integrates as a pre-commit hook, pre-push hook, GitHub Action, or standalone CLI to prevent credential leaks before code is pushed.

## Use cases
- scan my repo for leaked api keys before pushing
- add a pre-commit hook that blocks commits containing secrets
- detect hardcoded credentials in CI pipeline
- check if my git history contains exposed tokens
- prevent developers from committing passwords and api keys
- scan files and directories for hardcoded secrets locally

## When to choose
- you want to catch leaked secrets before they reach a remote repository
- you need broad detection coverage across 500+ secret types with validity checking
- you want pre-commit, pre-push, IDE, and CI integration from one tool
- you're okay with a cloud API doing the detection (files are not stored)

## When to avoid
- you need fully offline secret scanning with no external API calls
- you can't or won't create a GitGuardian account/API key
- you need a self-hosted secrets detection backend without GitGuardian's platform

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: security, cli, developer-tools, ci-cd
- domain: security, developer-tools
- platform: cli, python, cross-platform, windows
- tags: secrets-detection, pre-commit-hook, devsecops, gitguardian, api-key-scanning, credential-scanning, git-hooks, devops, command-line, docker, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- GitGuardian/ggshield (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:03.159900+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:02:37.444260+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/GitGuardian/ggshield (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:03.159900+00:00, sha 395ed3e8b582)
  - homepage: https://gitguardian.com (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.291262+00:00, sha 67c045d0e652)
  - site_page: https://www.gitguardian.com/about-us (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.300882+00:00, sha 21022ae64ad9)
  - site_page: https://docs.gitguardian.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.302705+00:00, sha 951b7cd32322)
  - site_page: https://api.gitguardian.com/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.304640+00:00, sha d19b9ee52779)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/ggshield/json (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.307598+00:00, sha c03995b1894d)
  - site_page: https://www.gitguardian.com/integrations (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.294219+00:00, sha 3450bd0c36f3)
  - site_page: https://www.gitguardian.com/pricing (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.296324+00:00, sha ee1d82d33483)
  - site_page: https://www.gitguardian.com/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T10:42:34.298773+00:00, sha d5dcc376f555)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.