Partially encrypt a file based on its HEREDOCs

In plain words

This tool selectively encrypts portions of files within Git repositories by marking sensitive sections with HEREDOC syntax. When files are committed, only the marked private sections are encrypted while the rest remains visible. Developers can work with unencrypted source files locally, with encryption and decryption happening transparently during Git operations. Only users with the symmetric key can decrypt private sections. It's designed for those maintaining public logs or shared repositories who need to keep certain content private without splitting files.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi HN! I wrote a tool that partially encrypts files based on the presence of a HEREDOC. Check it out: https://github.com/higgins/privatize When added to a git repo, it will automatically transparently encrypt/decrypt files you want privatized. For example if you configured your repo to…

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