quickstart

ripsecrets Quickstart Guide

ripsecrets is a command-line tool designed to scan source code for accidentally committed secrets and API keys. It's 95x faster than comparable tools and uses intelligent pattern detection to find sensitive data before it reaches your repository.

Commands

• ripsecrets <resource> <action> — Execute ripsecrets commands
• ripsecrets self version — Print ripsecrets version
• ripsecrets scan directory — Scan directory/repository for secrets
• ripsecrets scan install-hook — Install ripsecrets as pre-commit hook
• ripsecrets scan custom-pattern — Scan with additional secret pattern
• ripsecrets _ _ — Passthrough to ripsecrets CLI

Installation

cargo install --git https://github.com/sirwart/ripsecrets --branch main

Or via Homebrew:

brew install ripsecrets

Basic Usage

Scan current directory for secrets

ripsecrets

Scan specific files or directories

ripsecrets src/ config.yml .env

Install as Git pre-commit hook

ripsecrets --install-pre-commit

Check with custom patterns

ripsecrets --additional-pattern "my-api-key-\*"

What ripsecrets Detects

• AWS API keys and credentials
• GitHub tokens and personal access tokens
• Private keys (RSA, DSA, EC)
• Database connection strings
• OAuth tokens
• API keys from common services
• Private encryption keys
• Custom patterns you define

Exit Codes

• 0: No secrets found
• 1: Secrets detected (non-zero exit code helps in pre-commit hooks)

Pre-commit Hook Setup

Automatic setup:

ripsecrets --install-pre-commit

This adds ripsecrets to your Git pre-commit hooks, preventing commits with detected secrets.

Manual setup in .git/hooks/pre-commit:

#!/bin/bash
ripsecrets || exit 1

Whitelisting Secrets

Create a .secretsignore file in your repository root:

# Allow specific test keys
test-api-key: akia2c3d4e5f6g7h8
demo_token: ghp_1234567890abcdefghijk

Or add allowlist comments in code:

# ripsecrets:allow
API_KEY = "test_key_12345"

Common Options

• --strict-ignore - Respect .secretsignore file strictly
• --additional-pattern <PATTERN> - Add custom regex patterns
• --check <PATH> - Check specific file/directory
• --version - Show version info
• --help - Display help

Real-world Use Cases

Pre-commit integration

ripsecrets || exit 1

CI/CD pipeline scanning

ripsecrets . --strict-ignore

Audit existing repository

# Find all secrets in entire repository history
git log -p | ripsecrets

Custom pattern scanning

ripsecrets --additional-pattern "db_password=\*" .

Performance

• Scans most repositories in milliseconds
• Uses statistical randomness detection for speed
• No external API calls
• Operates entirely offline

Comparison to Alternatives

Tool	Speed	Method	False Positives
ripsecrets	95x faster	Statistical	Low
truffleHog	Baseline	Entropy scanning	Medium
gitleaks	~50x slower	Pattern matching	High

Limitations

• Cannot detect all possible secret formats
• Custom patterns may require tuning
• Some false positives possible with entropy-based detection

Resources

• GitHub Repository
• Issue Tracker
• pre-commit Framework

Integration Examples

With pre-commit framework

# .pre-commit-config.yaml
- repo: local
  hooks:
    - id: ripsecrets
      name: ripsecrets
      entry: ripsecrets
      language: system
      stages: [commit]

In GitHub Actions

- name: Scan for secrets
  run: ripsecrets . --strict-ignore