Configuring Git Proxy: The Ultimate Guide

Git is a distributed version control system designed for source code management and collaborative development. When working with remote repositories like GitHub or GitLab – or when downloading additional tools and extensions – issues may arise due to network restrictions, traffic filtering, or geoblocking. In these cases, configuring Git proxy can ensure stable connectivity, protect data, and help bypass restrictions often faced by remote teams or international projects.

Reasons to Use a Git Proxy

Restrictions on direct access to internet resources when working with Git can occur for various reasons:

• Network- or region-level blocking of external addresses;
• Compliance with corporate security policies;
• Prevention of malware downloads;
• Monitoring and logging of network activity;
• Data leakage protection;
• Operation in isolated CI/CD environments without direct internet access.

In these situations, intermediary servers provide a solution that allows you to:

• Bypass network and regional restrictions;
• Securely clone repositories and transfer data via Git;
• Download dependencies, plugins, and external tools;
• Access external APIs and services for automation (e.g., GitHub, Playwright and Puppeteer);
• Maintain stable connections and anonymity during mass network requests.

Thus, access restrictions due to security policies or network conditions make such servers essential. They not only help bypass barriers but also deliver stable, secure, and flexible operations. If Git uses a proxy it is highly effective for teamwork and process automation in distributed infrastructures.

How to Configure Git Proxy?

There are several ways to set up Git with proxy. Each is suited to specific needs and depends on network architecture, restriction levels, and the protocol type (HTTP/HTTPS, SOCKS).

How to Set Git Proxy Using Environment Variables

The easiest way to add a proxy to Git is to set parameters in environment variables.

1. Use the search bar to access the required option.

   

2. In the “Advanced” tab, select “Environment Variables”.

   

3. In the user environment section, click “New”.

   

4. In the “Variable name” field, specify HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY; in the value field, enter the host and port address.
   

Save changes and restart your system.

When configuring it via environment variables, you can specify the server’s address and port but not username and password. If you’re using a private solution, opt for IP-based authentication – this allows connection without entering credentials.

Setting Up Using Git Configuration

If the proxy is only needed for Git, use dedicated commands.

Navigate to your project folder and enter:

git config http.proxy

http://proxyUser:[email protected]:port

Where:

• proxyUser — username;
• proxyPassword — password;
• proxy.server.com — proxy server address;
• port — proxy port.

This command works for both HTTP and HTTPS – just specify the required protocol.

To remove the proxy from Git, use: git config - global -unset http.proxy.

Checking Git Proxy Settings

There are several ways to verify your configuration:

1. Check current configurations with:

   git config --get http.proxy

   git config --get https.proxy

   If correctly configured, you’ll see the newIP address and port in the console.

2. Clone a repository. If the new connection is set up properly, Git will execute the command without errors and display standard messages like “Cloning into…”, “Receiving objects…”. If there are connection issues, you’ll see errors such as “Fatal: Unable to access…” with a description (e.g., failed to connect or authentication error).

   git clone https://github.com/example/repo.git

3. Use curl to check: https://github.com This sends a request to GitHub and checks whether the system proxy is active. If correct, you’ll receive an HTML response or redirect. If not, you’ll get a message like “Failed to connect” or “Could not resolve host”.
4. Check connection logs. Run Git with increased log detail to see the exact route your traffic takes and whether a proxy is being used. In Terminal or your system console, enter:

   GIT_TRACE=1 GIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1 git clone

   https://github.com/example/repo.git

Checking your Git proxy setup using the above methods is important, as it allows you to quickly and accurately determine whether a server is in use, whether it is working correctly, and whether it is interfering with access to external resources.

Configuring a Git Proxy via SSH

When working through an intermediary, Git connections over HTTP(S) are often blocked by corporate policies or require constant authentication, especially with two-factor authentication or restricted token access. In such cases, using an SSH connection proves to be a more reliable and flexible solution. Git allows SSH traffic to be routed through a proxy using tools like ProxyCommand, netcat, or system proxy software.

Setting Up SSH for All Servers

Global Git proxy configuration via SSH is done in several steps:

1. Open the configuration file: ~/.ssh/config. In Windows, use Command Prompt or PowerShell and Notepad for editing:

   notepad ~/.ssh/config.

   For Linux and macOS:

   nano ~/.ssh/config

   vim ~/.ssh/config

   gedit ~/.ssh/config

   Note: The config file is hidden. To view it in a file manager, you may need to enable hidden files.

2. Add parameters for a specific host. In this example, we use github.com:

   Host github.com

   Hostname github.com

   User git

   IdentityFile /path/to/your/private/key

   ProxyCommand nc --proxy-auth user:password --proxy proxy_ip:proxy_port %h %p

   Replace /path/to/your/private/key with the path to your private SSH key. Specify the following details:

   • proxy_ip:proxy_port — address and port;
   • user:password — username and password.

Without authentication, a private proxy will not work. Alternatively, you can use it with IP-based authentication, in which case you do not need to specify the --proxy-auth parameters.

Configuration for a Specific Repository

To configure SSH for a specific project, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the root directory of your repository.
2. Enter the command to set up the intermediary server:

   git config core.sshCommand "ssh -i /path/to/your/private/key -o 'ProxyCommand nc --proxy-auth proxy_user:proxy_password --proxy proxyserver_ip:proxyserver_port %h %p'"

   As with the global setup, you need to replace:

   • /path/to/your/private/key – with the path to your SSH key.
   • proxy_user:proxy_password and proxyserver_ip:proxyserver_port – with your proxy authorization details, host, and port.
   • nc – this is the standard netcat utility for network operations. If you want to use another tool, such as curl, specify it instead.
   • %h – will be replaced by the host you are connecting to.
   • %p – will be replaced by the port.

Before running the command, ensure your proxy server settings are correct and that there are no exceptions in your firewall.

Troubleshooting Git Proxy Setup

When working with a version control system through an intermediary, you may encounter connection, authentication, or data transfer errors. Below are the most common issues and their solutions.

No Connection

If you run git clone or git fetch and notice that the intermediary server is not being used, you should check that your parameters are correct.

To view your proxy server configuration, use:

git config --global --get http.proxy

git config --global --get https.proxy

Authentication Error

A common proxy error is 407 or “Proxy Authentication Required.” The solution is simple—reset your credentials. In the program console, enter: git config --global http.proxy http://user:[email protected]:port, where you specify your username, password, host, and port.

If your computer runs Linux or any other Unix-like OS, you can export the connection parameters as environment variables:

export http_proxy=http://user:[email protected]:port

export https_proxy=http://user:[email protected]:port

Note: Do not use username and password in open scripts or where files are accessible to other users.

Certificate Error or Inability to Establish Secure Connection

SSL certificate problems often occur during repository cloning. To fix this, make sure system certificates are up to date or add them to trusted ones. If the issue persists, you can disable certificate verification (not recommended) either only for cloning or globally for all projects:

GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY=true git clone /path/to/repo – Disable verification during clone.

git config --global http.sslVerify false – Disable verification globally.

Connection Is Blocked Even with Correct Settings

If the version control system defaults to a non-standard port (for example, port 22 for SSH), this may result in blocked connections. To bypass, switch to using HTTPS instead of SSH, and make sure your program is set to use port 443.

In some cases, a corporate proxy may block certain protocols or requests, especially SSH. To work around this, use one of the following tools:

• Proxifier – allows you to route any network traffic, including SSH, through a designated HTTP(S) or SOCKS protocol. Works system-wide and is suitable for Windows and macOS.
• ProxyCommand in SSH – suitable for chaining connections via netcat or other utilities. Allows a remote repository to use SSH even in restricted networks.

These tools help overcome network restrictions and ensure a stable connection between Git and external services.

Conclusion

Configuring a Git proxy server is essential for accessing remote repositories when dealing with restricted or controlled internet connections. There are several ways to achieve this – using environment variables, configuration files, or SSH. During setup, you may encounter connection issues, timeouts, or blocks, which can be easily diagnosed with special commands and resolved by switching to port 443, using special applications, or a personal token. Taking all of this into account, you can properly configure your version control system for secure network access and data exchange.