# Gerhard Rieger ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2026-05-04 Gerhard Rieger.jpg|400]] German software developer, best known as the creator of [[socat]], a powerful multipurpose relay tool for Unix/Linux systems. ## Notable Work ### socat (SOcket CAT) Rieger created and maintains [[socat]], first released in 2002. socat is a command-line utility that establishes bidirectional byte streams between two data channels. It's widely used for: - Port forwarding and network debugging - Protocol bridging (TCP, UDP, Unix sockets, serial, SSL) - Remote debugging setups (e.g., [[Chrome Debug Mode]] via [[Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP)]]) The tool is often described as a more powerful successor to [[netcat]], offering support for many additional connection types and features. ## Contributions - Maintains socat as open-source software - Active development since 2002 - Regular releases with new features and bug fixes ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Gerhard Rieger]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[Gerhard Rieger]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Related - [[socat]] - [[netcat]] ## References - socat homepage: http://www.dest-unreach.org/socat/