Git Socks Proxy
You set up a git socks proxy by routing client traffic through a local port. For SSH repos, you also add a helper command to forward connections. Engineering teams use this method to reach private code hosts inside isolated networks. They often share long-lived network keys across the whole team to save time. When permissions are too broad, any user on that tunnel can pull every repo. A stolen laptop with saved keys puts your entire private codebase at risk. How a git socks proxy routes your t
Database Proxy (ProxySQL, PgBouncer) + Git Commit Signing (GPG, SSH): the complete guide
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You set up a git socks proxy by routing client traffic through a local port. For SSH repos, you also add a helper command to forward connections. Engineering teams use this method to reach private code hosts inside isolated networks. They often share long-lived network keys across the whole team to save time. When permissions are too broad, any user on that tunnel can pull every repo. A stolen laptop with saved keys puts your entire private codebase at risk.
How a git socks proxy routes your traffic
Git uses two main transport protocols to move code between machines. It uses standard web requests or secure shell sessions. Each protocol handles network routing in a very different way.
For web traffic, the client reads your global or project settings file. You point the client to a local address and a specific port number. The background network client listens on that local port and forwards packets out. You can also apply this rule to one specific remote host domain. That way, public code hosts still use your normal internet connection.
Secure shell traffic does not read the web routing settings in your file. Instead, the git client hands the connection off to your system SSH program. You must tell the SSH program to wrap its traffic through a helper tool. This helper tool talks to the local tunnel port and opens the remote session. DNS lookups can also leak outside the tunnel if you pick the wrong protocol version. Teams choose the version five protocol so domain names resolve on the remote side.
Why teams route source control through a tunnel
Many companies keep their source code servers on private internal networks. These servers do not have public IP addresses on the open internet. Developers working from home need a safe path to reach those private hosts. A local tunnel lets them push and pull code without a full VPN. Full device VPNs often slow down video calls and other daily web traffic. Routing only version control traffic keeps the rest of the laptop fast.
Build servers and automated test runners also use this pattern across cloud regions. A runner in one cloud can pull code from a private server elsewhere. The runner opens a background tunnel and points the client to the local port.
Database Proxy (ProxySQL, PgBouncer) + Git Commit Signing (GPG, SSH): architecture patterns and best practices
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What static tunnels solve and what they leave open
A network tunnel solves the basic problem of reaching a hidden server. It encrypts traffic in transit between the developer laptop and the private network. It also hides the internal code host from public port scanners on the web.
Still, a plain network tunnel leaves a large operational gap in your workflow. The tunnel only decides which machine can reach the internal network port. It does not check who the user is on each individual git command. Once the tunnel is open, static keys sit on the developer disk for months. If an attacker steals that key, they can clone every private repo right away.
Standard network logs only show that an encrypted stream passed through the port. They do not record which user ran a clone or a force push. Security teams have to dig through multiple server logs to match IPs to names. Revoking access also takes too much manual work when a contractor leaves the team. Admins must rotate shared keys and update settings across dozens of developer machines.
Check database and API queries on the wire
Identity tools, roles, and network rules decide who opens a session. Setup alone cannot check what each query does or mask sensitive values in a response once a session starts. When workflows touch Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, ClickHouse, Kubernetes APIs, SSH, or internal HTTP APIs, hoop.dev runs beside those services as an open-source proxy, a sidecar for your Postgres or API. It inspects requests coming in and results going back on the wire.
Your login details and client tools stay as they are while hoop.dev guardrails refuse bad deletes or drops before they run. On responses, hoop.dev data masking rewrites matched sensitive values in memory. Furthermore, hoop.dev holds SOC 2 Type II, is MIT licensed, and writes every query and decision to an audit trail that generates evidence for HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS. See the source on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my SSH clone ignore my git routing settings?
The standard git routing setting only applies to HTTP and HTTPS web connections. For SSH links, you must set up a transport command in your SSH file.
Should I use version four or version five for my tunnel?
Always pick the version five protocol when you set up your local tunnel. Version five sends domain lookups through the tunnel so internal hostnames resolve properly.
How do I turn off the tunnel for public repositories?
You can scope your routing rule to a single internal domain in your settings. You can also remove the global rule from your file when you switch projects.