Beyond Single-Layer Scanning: Building a Three-Stage Secret Detection Strategy

Secrets leak at different points throughout the development lifecycle, and relying on a single scanning layer inevitably misses critical threats. This guide explains why pre-commit, pull request, and main-branch scans each serve distinct security purposes, and demonstrates how to implement all three with Gitleaks and GitHub Actions while avoiding alert fatigue. The multi-layer approach isn't redundant overhead—it's the proven defense model that actually prevents secrets from reaching production.