git-crypt vs Infisical
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Infisical
Open-source secrets management platform for developers
| Feature | git-crypt | Infisical |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 52 · Fair | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,932 | ★ 29,401 |
| First released | 2013 | 2022 |
| Replaces | HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager | AWS Secrets Manager, Doppler, HashiCorp Vault |
What are git-crypt and Infisical?
git-crypt
git-crypt is an open-source tool that enables transparent encryption and decryption of files in a git repository. Files you choose are encrypted when committed and decrypted when checked out, keeping secrets safe in version control.
- Transparent file encryption in git
- GPG-based key management
- Selective encryption via gitattributes
- No server required
Infisical
Infisical is an open-source platform for managing and syncing secrets across teams and infrastructure. It offers a friendly dashboard, secret versioning, automatic rotation and integrations with CI/CD tools.
- Centralized secrets dashboard
- Secret versioning and rotation
- Native CI/CD and Kubernetes integrations
- Point-in-time secret recovery
git-crypt vs Infisical: key differences
Git-crypt is written in C++, while Infisical is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for git-crypt versus MIT for Infisical. Git-crypt is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Infisical. Git-crypt is the more established project (first released 2013), while Infisical arrived in 2022. Infisical has the considerably larger community, at 29,401 GitHub stars versus 9,932. Infisical lists first-class Docker deployment; git-crypt does not.
Why pick each one
Choose git-crypt if…
- Simple to integrate with git
- Keeps secrets in repos safely
Watch out for
- Not a vault with access control
Choose Infisical if…
- Excellent developer UX
- Broad integration catalog
Watch out for
- Some enterprise features gated
Frequently asked questions
Is git-crypt or Infisical better?
Neither is universally better. Infisical has the larger community, while git-crypt is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are git-crypt and Infisical free and open-source?
Yes. git-crypt is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Infisical under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run git-crypt and Infisical with Docker?
git-crypt: check the project docs for container support. Infisical: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, git-crypt or Infisical?
git-crypt has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Infisical. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.