How to Handle Secrets at the Command Line [cheat sheet included]

**Executive summary:** This blog post explains how developers should identify and protect local credentials used at the command line—passwords, keys, and certificates—reviews common exposure paths (credential files, shell history, logs, /dev/stdin, process listings), and recommends practical mitigations including password managers (e.g., Vault, KeePass), filesystem and file encryption (LUKS, BitLocker, FileVault, SOPS), history-cleaning tools (Shellclear), scoped environment variables, secure piping patterns, and IDE-integrated secret detection (GitGuardian VS Code extension).