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[PATCH v2 1/3] gitfaq: add documentation on proxies

From
brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
Date
Nov 7, 2021, 22:55 UTC
Message-ID
<20211107225525.431138-2-sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
In-Reply-To
<20211107225525.431138-1-sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>

Many corporate environments and local systems have proxies in use. Note the situations in which proxies can be used and how to configure them. At the same time, note what standards a proxy must follow to work with Git. Explicitly call out certain classes that are known to routinely have problems reported various places online, including in the Git for Windows issue tracker and on Stack Overflow, and recommend against the use of such software.

Signed-off-by: brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
---
 Documentation/gitfaq.txt | 23 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)
diff --git a/Documentation/gitfaq.txt b/Documentation/gitfaq.txt
index 946691c153..5c21951f7b 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitfaq.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitfaq.txt
@@ -241,6 +241,29 @@ How do I know if I want to do a fetch or a pull?::
 	ignore the upstream changes.  A pull consists of a fetch followed
 	immediately by either a merge or rebase.  See linkgit:git-pull[1].
 
+[[proxy]]
+Can I use a proxy with Git?::
+	Yes, Git supports the use of proxies.  Git honors the standard `http_proxy`,
+	`https_proxy`, and `no_proxy` environment variables commonly used on Unix, and
+	it also can be configured with `http.proxy` and similar options for HTTPS (see
+	linkgit:git-config[1]).  The `http.proxy` and related options can be
+	customized on a per-URL pattern basis.  In addition, Git can in theory
+	function normally with transparent proxies that exist on the network.
++
+For SSH, Git can support a proxy using `core.gitproxy`. Commonly used tools
+include `netcat` and `socat`.  However, they must be configured not to exit when
+seeing EOF on standard input, which usually means that `netcat` will require
+`-q` and `socat` will require a timeout with something like `-t 10`.
++
+Note that in all cases, for Git to work properly, the proxy must be completely
+transparent.  The proxy cannot modify, tamper with, change, or buffer the
+connection in any way, or Git will almost certainly fail to work.  Note that
+many proxies, including many TLS middleboxes, Windows antivirus and firewall
+programs other than Windows Defender and Windows Firewall, and filtering proxies
+fail to meet this standard, and as a result end up breaking Git.  Because of the
+many reports of problems, we recommend against the use of these classes of
+software and devices.
+
 Design
 ------
 
Previous: brian m. carlsonNext: Eric Sunshine
Message 2 of 19 in “Additional FAQ entries”
  1. 0/3 Additional FAQ entriesbrian m. carlson, Nov 7, 2021
  2. 1/3 gitfaq: add documentation on proxiesbrian m. carlson, Nov 7, 2021
  3. Eric SunshineNov 7, 2021
  4. brian m. carlsonNov 8, 2021
  5. Junio C HamanoNov 8, 2021
  6. Johannes SchindelinJan 4, 2022
  7. 3/3 gitfaq: add entry about syncing working treesbrian m. carlson, Nov 7, 2021
  8. Eric SunshineNov 8, 2021
  9. Junio C HamanoNov 8, 2021
  10. Junio C HamanoNov 9, 2021
  11. brian m. carlsonNov 14, 2021
  12. 2/3 gitfaq: give advice on using eol attribute in gitattributesbrian m. carlson, Nov 7, 2021
  13. Eric SunshineNov 7, 2021
  14. brian m. carlsonNov 8, 2021
  15. Eric SunshineNov 8, 2021
  16. Johannes SchindelinJan 4, 2022
  17. Johannes SchindelinJan 4, 2022
  18. brian m. carlsonJan 6, 2022
  19. Eric SunshineNov 9, 2021

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