Proxyman.com Reviews

Based on checking the website, Proxyman.com appears to be a highly regarded native macOS application designed for developers to capture, decrypt, and mock HTTPs requests and responses.

It offers a comprehensive suite of network debugging tools, positioning itself as a robust alternative to other well-known proxy tools like Charles Proxy.

The site emphasizes its user-friendly interface, native macOS performance, and extensive features for both desktop and mobile debugging, aiming to streamline the development and troubleshooting process for individual developers and teams worldwide.

Find detailed reviews on Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org, for software products you can also check Producthunt.

IMPORTANT: We have not personally tested this company’s services. This review is based solely on information provided by the company on their website. For independent, verified user experiences, please refer to trusted sources such as Trustpilot, Reddit, and BBB.org.

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Unpacking Proxyman: A Deep Dive into its Core Functionality

Proxyman positions itself as an indispensable tool for developers, aiming to simplify the often-complex world of network debugging.

At its core, it acts as a man-in-the-middle proxy, intercepting and allowing inspection of HTTP and HTTPS traffic.

This fundamental capability is crucial for developers to understand how their applications communicate with web servers, identify bottlenecks, and diagnose issues.

The emphasis on a native macOS experience suggests a focus on performance and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem, a significant draw for many developers.

The Man-in-the-Middle Explained: How Proxyman Intercepts Traffic

The concept of a “man-in-the-middle” MITM proxy might sound intimidating, but in the context of development tools like Proxyman, it’s a powerful and legitimate technique. Audible.com Reviews

Proxyman essentially places itself between your application or device and the internet.

• Interception: When your application sends a request, it first goes to Proxyman. Similarly, when a server sends a response, it passes through Proxyman before reaching your application.
• Decryption HTTPS: For HTTPS traffic, Proxyman generates its own SSL certificate. When your application trusts this certificate a straightforward setup process on macOS and mobile devices, Proxyman can decrypt the encrypted traffic, allowing you to view the request and response in plain text. This is critical for debugging secure communication. Without this, HTTPS traffic would appear as unreadable encrypted data.
• Inspection: Once intercepted and decrypted, Proxyman presents the data in a human-readable format, making it easy to analyze headers, body content, status codes, and more.

This process allows developers to see exactly what data is being sent and received, which is invaluable for pinpointing issues related to API integrations, data serialization, authentication, and network performance.

Native macOS Experience: Performance and Usability

A significant selling point for Proxyman is its claim of being a “best-in-class native macOS app.” This isn’t just marketing fluff.

It translates directly into tangible benefits for users.

• Performance: Native applications are typically optimized for the specific operating system, leveraging system resources more efficiently. Proxyman highlights its “super-fast Apple M1/M2/M3 performance,” indicating it’s built to take full advantage of Apple Silicon chips. This means less lag and quicker processing of network traffic, even with large volumes of data.
• Familiar UI: A native app adheres to macOS design guidelines, offering a “Familiar UI” with “Universal Shortcuts Keys.” This reduces the learning curve for macOS users, making the application feel intuitive and comfortable from the first launch. Developers spend countless hours in their tools, so a pleasant and efficient user experience is paramount.
• Integration: Native apps often integrate better with macOS features, such as system proxy settings, Keychain for certificate management, and even potentially Shortcuts for automation. This seamless integration can significantly improve a developer’s workflow. The website specifically mentions “built-in macOS setup” for inspecting HTTP/HTTPS requests, highlighting this ease of use.

This commitment to a native macOS experience sets Proxyman apart from cross-platform tools that might offer broader compatibility but often compromise on performance or user experience for specific operating systems. Taskade.com Reviews

Essential Debugging Tools: Beyond Basic Interception

While capturing HTTPs traffic is the foundation, Proxyman extends its utility with a robust suite of debugging tools designed to tackle a wide array of development challenges.

These features move beyond mere observation, allowing developers to actively manipulate and test network interactions.

Multiple Filters: Precision in Network Data Analysis

The sheer volume of network traffic can be overwhelming, making it difficult to isolate the specific requests or responses you need to examine.

Proxyman addresses this with its “Multiple Filters” feature.

• Granular Control: Instead of sifting through thousands of entries, developers can combine complex filtered criteria to narrow down their search. This includes parameters like:
  • Protocol: HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket
  • Content-Type: JSON, XML, HTML, Image, etc.
  • URL: Specific endpoints or patterns
  • Request Header: Any header field and its value e.g., Authorization, User-Agent
  • Response Header: Similar to request headers
  • Body: Content within the request or response body
• Efficiency: This precision saves significant time and effort, allowing developers to quickly pinpoint relevant network events. For instance, you could filter for all POST requests to a specific /api/v1/users endpoint containing a certain string in the request body, instantly highlighting relevant user creation attempts.
• Example Use Case: Debugging a frontend application that isn’t displaying data correctly from a backend API. You can filter for all requests to that specific API endpoint and then further filter by status code e.g., 4xx or 5xx errors or by response body content to quickly identify if the issue lies with the request, the server’s response, or data parsing.

This powerful filtering capability transforms a firehose of network data into an actionable, manageable dataset, empowering developers to efficiently diagnose issues. Crisp.com Reviews

Scripting Tool: Dynamic Request/Response Manipulation

For developers who find GUI-based breakpoint or mapping tools too slow or restrictive, Proxyman offers a “Scripting Tool” that leverages JavaScript.

This feature is a must for complex or dynamic debugging scenarios.

• Programmable Logic: Users can write JavaScript code to manipulate requests and responses on the fly. This goes far beyond simple modifications, enabling advanced scenarios such as:
  • Conditional Modifications: Only modify a request or response if certain conditions are met e.g., if a header contains a specific value, or if a response body is empty.
  • Data Transformation: Programmatically change data formats, add/remove fields, or sanitize sensitive information before it reaches the client or server.
  • Injecting Delays: Simulate network latency or server processing time for specific requests to test how an application handles delays.
  • Error Simulation: Force specific error codes or malformed responses to test error handling logic in the client application.
• Provided Snippets and Libraries: Proxyman provides “handful of Snippet Code, common Add-ons and JS Libraries” to facilitate the debugging procedure. This accelerates the process, allowing developers to quickly implement common debugging patterns without starting from scratch.
• Efficiency Boost: As the website states, this tool can make debugging “100x faster” by providing a flexible and powerful way to interact with network traffic, bypassing the need for constant client-side code changes or backend deployments.

The scripting tool transforms Proxyman from a passive observer into an active participant in the debugging process, offering unparalleled flexibility and control.

Breakpoint Tool: On-the-Fly Data Modification

The “Breakpoint Tool” is a classic debugging staple, allowing developers to pause network traffic and modify data before it proceeds.

Proxyman’s implementation provides granular control over various aspects of a request or response. Pocket.com Reviews

• Interactive Editing: Developers can halt a request or response and directly edit its components, including:
  • URL: Redirect requests to different endpoints.
  • Headers: Add, remove, or modify request/response headers e.g., Content-Type, Authorization, User-Agent.
  • Body: Directly edit the payload of a request e.g., JSON, XML or a response. This is invaluable for testing different input scenarios or simulating various server responses.
  • Status Code: Change the HTTP status code of a response to test client-side error handling e.g., forcing a 404 Not Found or 500 Internal Server Error.
  • Raw Message: For advanced users, direct modification of the raw HTTP message provides ultimate control.
• Immediate Feedback: Changes made with the Breakpoint Tool are applied “on the fly,” meaning you can see the immediate impact on your application without recompiling code or restarting servers.
• Use Cases:
  • Input Validation: Test how your backend handles invalid or unexpected input by modifying a request body.
  • Error Handling: Verify that your frontend gracefully handles various HTTP error codes.
  • Feature Toggling: Temporarily enable or disable certain features by modifying a response that dictates feature flags.

The Breakpoint Tool is an indispensable feature for iterative testing and rapid prototyping, significantly accelerating the debugging cycle.

Map Local Tool: Mocking Responses with Local Files

The “Map Local Tool” is a powerful feature for frontend developers and QA engineers, enabling them to mock API responses using local files.

This capability significantly boosts development speed by decoupling the frontend from the backend.

• Decoupled Development:
  • Parallel Development: Frontend and backend teams can work concurrently. Frontend developers don’t have to wait for the backend API to be fully implemented. they can use mocked responses.
  • Offline Development: Continue working on the frontend even without an active internet connection or access to the backend server.
  • Consistent Testing: Ensure consistent responses for testing specific UI states or edge cases, regardless of backend changes or data volatility.
• Granular Control:
  • Status Code: Define the HTTP status code for the mocked response.
  • Header: Specify custom headers for the mocked response.
  • Body: Serve a local file as the response body. This could be a JSON file, an HTML snippet, or any other data format.
  • UI Prototyping: Quickly build out UI components and test their behavior with various data scenarios.
  • Error Simulation: Serve local files with error messages or specific error codes to test how the UI handles different failure states.
  • Data Variation: Test how the UI renders with different data structures or large datasets without relying on the backend to provide them.

By allowing developers to “mock a Response with a local file,” the Map Local Tool eliminates dependencies and significantly streamlines the development and testing workflow, leading to faster iterations and higher quality.

Mobile and Backend Debugging: Expanding Proxyman’s Reach

Proxyman isn’t just for macOS desktop applications. Bitcoin-hero.com Reviews

It extends its powerful debugging capabilities to mobile devices iOS and Android and backend development environments, making it a versatile tool for full-stack developers.

Inspecting Network Traffic from iOS/Android Devices

Debugging mobile applications often presents unique challenges due to the device ecosystem.

Proxyman simplifies this with “easy-to-follow instructions” for capturing HTTPs traffic from various mobile environments.

• Physical Devices: Step-by-step guidance is provided to set up a proxy on both iOS and Android physical devices. This typically involves configuring Wi-Fi proxy settings and installing/trusting Proxyman’s self-signed SSL certificate. The website assures a “straightforward walkthrough” for this process, aiming to make it accessible even for those new to mobile proxying.
• Simulators/Emulators: A standout feature for iOS is the “Capture traffic from iOS Simulators” functionality, which boasts “No need to configure HTTP Proxy, Install or Trust any Certificate.” This “Zero-Config” approach for iOS Simulators is a significant time-saver, as manual configuration can be tedious and error-prone. For Android emulators, an “Emulator Automatic Script” is mentioned, further simplifying the setup.
• Comprehensive Coverage: The ability to intercept traffic from both physical devices and their virtual counterparts ensures developers can debug across their entire mobile testing matrix. This includes:
  • iOS Devices
  • iOS Simulators
  • Android Devices
  • Android Emulators
  • API Debugging: Verify that your mobile app is sending correct requests and receiving expected responses from your backend APIs.
  • Authentication Issues: Troubleshoot login flows, token refreshing, and session management.
  • Network Performance: Identify slow requests or large payloads affecting app responsiveness.
  • Third-Party SDKs: Monitor traffic generated by integrated SDKs analytics, advertising, payment gateways.

Proxyman’s strong support for mobile debugging, especially its zero-setup approach for iOS Simulators, significantly reduces friction and accelerates mobile development workflows.

Zero-Setup for Backend Developments: NodeJS, Ruby, Python, Golang

Beyond mobile, Proxyman also caters to backend developers, offering “One-click to inspect HTTPs traffic” from popular server-side languages and tools. Social-media-counter.com Reviews

This eliminates the manual configuration often associated with proxying local backend services.

• Automatic Setup Windows: Proxyman can open a pre-configured Terminal app that automatically sets up the HTTP Proxy and trusts Proxyman’s certificate. The crucial aspect here is that “It only affects your current Terminal session, not the whole system,” ensuring that system-wide proxy settings are not inadvertently altered.
• Supported Libraries: This automatic setup seamlessly integrates with popular HTTP client libraries across various languages:
  • NodeJS: axios, fetch v18+, node-fetch, got, https, superagent
  • Ruby: http, net/http, net/https, httparty, fastlane, faraday
  • Python: requests, aiohttp, http.client, urllib3, httpx
  • Golang: net/http, rusty, fasthttp, resty, gorequest
  • Others: cURL, httpie, and Electron Apps.
• Immediate Debugging: Once the terminal session is configured, Proxyman automatically captures all HTTPs traffic as soon as your server starts or scripts run. This immediate visibility is invaluable for:
  • API Development: Quickly verifying that your backend APIs are sending and receiving data as expected.
  • Integration Testing: Debugging interactions between different microservices or external APIs.
  • Performance Bottlenecks: Identifying slow database queries or external API calls that impact backend performance.

This “zero-setup” approach for backend environments drastically reduces the overhead of configuring proxy settings, allowing backend developers to dive straight into debugging their network interactions.

Advanced Features and User Endorsements: The Proxyman Edge

Proxyman doesn’t stop at fundamental debugging.

It bundles a range of advanced features that empower developers to tackle complex scenarios, coupled with strong endorsements from a large and active user base.

GraphQL Debugging: Tailored for Modern APIs

GraphQL has become increasingly popular, but debugging its single-endpoint, query-based nature can be challenging with traditional HTTP proxies. Flux.com Reviews

Proxyman offers specialized “GraphQL Debugging” capabilities.

• QueryName Matching: The tool allows developers to “easily debug GraphQL Request by defining a matching rule with a particular GraphQL QueryName.” This is crucial because all GraphQL operations often go to the same /graphql endpoint, making it hard to distinguish specific queries. By matching on the QueryName, developers can isolate and focus on individual operations.
• Integration with Other Tools: This GraphQL-specific filtering works seamlessly with other powerful Proxyman tools:
  • Breakpoint: Modify GraphQL queries or responses on the fly.
  • Map Local: Mock GraphQL responses using local files to test different data states or error conditions without a live backend.
  • Map Remote: Redirect GraphQL queries to different backend instances.
  • Scripting Tool: Write custom JavaScript to manipulate GraphQL requests/responses with advanced logic, such as transforming data structures or injecting errors.
• Benefits:
  • Clarity: Provides clear visibility into individual GraphQL operations, even within a single HTTP request.
  • Efficiency: Accelerates debugging of complex GraphQL applications by allowing targeted manipulation and testing.
  • Specialized Workflow: Caters directly to the needs of GraphQL developers, providing a tailored debugging experience.

This dedicated GraphQL support highlights Proxyman’s commitment to staying current with modern API development trends and providing relevant tools for cutting-edge technologies.

Diff Tool: Spotting Differences with Ease

When debugging, especially with iterative changes or comparing historical data, identifying subtle differences between requests or responses can be a painstaking manual process. Proxyman’s built-in “Diff Tool” automates this.

• Visual Comparison: The tool allows users to “Quickly find the differences between requests/responses” with a visual interface.
• Display Options: It offers flexible display options:
  • Side-by-Side: Presents the two items being compared next to each other, with differences highlighted.
  • Unified Display: Shows changes inline within a single view, similar to git diff output.
• Theming: Users can choose between “Light/Dark GitHub Theme” for a familiar and comfortable viewing experience.
  • API Versioning: Compare requests or responses from an old API version with a new one to identify breaking changes.
  • Regression Testing: Compare current responses with previously known good responses to detect unintended regressions.
  • Troubleshooting: When a feature breaks, compare a failing request/response with a working one to pinpoint the exact difference causing the issue.
  • Understanding Changes: Easily see what parameters changed in a request or what data changed in a response after an action.

The Diff Tool is a productivity booster, saving developers from manually scrutinizing large JSON payloads or lengthy header lists, and instead presenting changes clearly and immediately.

User Testimonials and Community Trust: Social Proof of Value

Proxyman heavily features user testimonials and community endorsements, which serve as strong social proof of its value and reliability. Calendly.com Reviews

The website prominently displays “More than 250,000+ happy users” and mentions it’s “used daily by 80k+ developers worldwide.”

• High Ratings: A “4.8 / 5” rating and designation as “Product of the day,” “1st BEST DEVELOPER TOOL,” and “Swift Community Awards 2022” winner build immediate credibility.
• Industry Endorsements: The testimonials are from respected developers, including:
  • Ibrahima Ciss @bionik6: An iOS engineer who lists Proxyman as a tool he “can’t live without.”
  • Matthew O’Riordan @mattheworiordan: Praises its simplicity and functionality, including WebSocket support.
  • DeLynn Berry @delynn: Explicitly states, “I recently discovered Proxyman and I’m glad I’ll never need to use Charles ever again,” a direct comparison that speaks volumes.
  • Guillermo Rauch @rauchg: Emphasizes how much can be learned by watching network traffic with Proxyman.
  • Wes Bos @wesbos: Calls it “such a cool app” and “the best one i’ve used” compared to Wireshark and Charles.
  • Ananay @ananayarora: Announces “Officially switching to @proxyman_app after 10 years of using Charles!” citing better interface, performance, and process identification.
  • Donny Wals @DonnyWals: Enjoys Proxyman “more and more,” finding it “slightly nicer and more convenient” than Charles, particularly for cert installation on simulators.
• Addressing Pain Points: Many testimonials directly mention Charles Proxy, indicating that Proxyman is successfully addressing common pain points users experienced with its long-standing competitor, particularly around UI, performance, and certificate installation.
• Community Presence: References to “Daring Fireball, Inessential, Donny Wals, iOS Dev Weekly, and Twitter” suggest active engagement within the developer community and organic spread of positive feedback.

These endorsements provide powerful validation of Proxyman’s claims, showing that it’s not just a feature-rich tool but one that resonates deeply with its target audience and solves real-world developer problems effectively.

The consistent comparison to Charles Proxy highlights Proxyman’s ambition and perceived success in carving out a significant niche.

Pricing and Accessibility: Getting Started with Proxyman

While the detailed features and glowing testimonials paint a picture of a powerful tool, understanding its accessibility and pricing model is crucial for potential users.

Proxyman offers a clear path from trying the software to purchasing a license. Opera.com Reviews

Free Trial and Licensing Model

Proxyman employs a common software distribution model: a free trial combined with a paid licensing system, often for a “lifetime deal.”

• “Get started for free”: This is a critical entry point for developers. It allows potential users to download and evaluate the software without any upfront financial commitment. This hands-on experience is essential for developers to assess if Proxyman meets their specific needs and integrates well with their workflow. A free trial typically comes with certain limitations e.g., time-based expiry, feature restrictions, or data limits to encourage conversion to a paid license.
• “Buy license key”: Once convinced of its value, users can purchase a license. The website mentions “Lifetime deal” for the macOS app, which is often a very attractive proposition for developers. A “lifetime” license means a single payment grants access to the software indefinitely, often including future updates for a certain period or even perpetually. This can be more cost-effective in the long run compared to subscription models.
• App Store Availability: The mention “Get from AppStore” indicates that Proxyman is available through Apple’s official macOS App Store. This provides convenience, simplified installation, and often automatic updates for users, leveraging Apple’s trusted distribution platform.

This tiered approach allows for broad accessibility for initial evaluation while providing a clear monetization path for the developers of Proxyman.

Documentation and Tutorials: Supporting the User Journey

A powerful tool is only as good as its documentation.

Proxyman appears to prioritize user support through comprehensive guides and tutorials.

• “Read our documentation”: This repeated call to action suggests that detailed written guides are available for all major features Capture HTTP/HTTPS Traffic, Multiple Filters, GraphQL Debugging, Scripting Tool, Breakpoint Tool, Map Local Tool. Good documentation is vital for:
  • Onboarding: Helping new users understand how to set up and use the basic features.
  • Deep Dives: Providing in-depth explanations for advanced features and complex configurations.
  • Troubleshooting: Offering solutions to common problems or error messages.
• “Read the manual”: Specific manuals are likely available for tools like the Diff Tool.
• “Check out Proxyman Tutorials”: Beyond written documentation, tutorials likely video-based or step-by-step guides with screenshots can be incredibly helpful for visual learners or for quickly grasping complex workflows. The mention of “Proxyman with KODECO” and “Proxyman with GDG” indicates collaborations with established developer education platforms and groups, which can provide high-quality, community-driven content.
• Newsletter: “Join Proxyman’s newsletter and stay updated on new releases, features, and productivity tips.” This shows a commitment to continuous improvement and user engagement, ensuring users are aware of new capabilities and best practices.

By providing extensive documentation, tutorials, and ongoing communication, Proxyman aims to empower users to maximize their productivity with the tool and quickly resolve any issues they encounter. Pipedrive.com Reviews

The Competitive Landscape: Proxyman vs. Charles Proxy and Others

Its success, as reflected in numerous testimonials, largely stems from its ability to offer compelling advantages over these alternatives.

Direct Comparisons to Charles Proxy

The most frequent comparison found on Proxyman’s website is with Charles Proxy, a long-standing and widely used tool in the developer community.

The consistent sentiment from users is a shift away from Charles towards Proxyman, citing several key improvements:

• Native macOS Experience: This is perhaps the most cited differentiator. Charles Proxy, being cross-platform, often feels less “native” on macOS, leading to criticisms regarding its user interface, performance, and overall user experience. Proxyman, built specifically for macOS, offers a more intuitive UI, better performance, and seamless integration with the operating system. User testimonials like “I’m glad I’ll never need to use Charles ever again” and “Officially switching to @proxyman_app after 10 years of using Charles! Much better interface, app performance” directly highlight this advantage.
• Performance: The emphasis on “super-fast Apple M1/M2/M3 performance” suggests that Proxyman leverages modern Mac hardware more efficiently than Charles, which might struggle with large traffic volumes or on newer Apple Silicon machines.
• Certificate Installation especially on Simulators: A recurring pain point with Charles for mobile developers is the often-fiddly process of installing and trusting SSL certificates, particularly on iOS Simulators. Proxyman’s “Zero-Setup” for iOS Simulators is a massive draw, simplifying a historically tedious task. As one user noted, “Especially the way it installs certs on the simulator for proxying 👍🏼.”
• User Interface and Usability: Users consistently praise Proxyman’s “much better interface,” “beautiful, native Mac app,” and “Super streamlined UI.” This speaks to a modern design that focuses on clarity and ease of use, contrasting with what some perceive as Charles’s more dated or cluttered interface.
• Process Identification: Ananay @ananayarora specifically mentions that Proxyman “also shows what process is making a particular web request!” This is a crucial debugging detail that Charles might not provide as readily, allowing developers to pinpoint which application or service is generating specific network activity.

While Charles Proxy remains a powerful and feature-rich tool, Proxyman appears to be winning over a significant segment of the macOS developer community by delivering a superior user experience tailored to the Apple ecosystem.

Other Competitors: Wireshark, Paw/Insomnia, Postman

While Charles Proxy is the primary rival, Proxyman also competes indirectly with other tools that serve related but distinct purposes: Yarn.com Reviews

• Wireshark: Wes Bos mentions using Wireshark. Wireshark is a powerful network protocol analyzer, operating at a much lower level packet sniffing than an HTTP proxy. While it provides incredible detail, it has a steep learning curve and isn’t primarily designed for easily viewing and manipulating HTTP/HTTPS traffic at the application layer. Proxyman offers a more focused and user-friendly experience for application-level debugging.
• Paw/Insomnia/Postman: These are primarily API clients used for composing and sending HTTP requests and inspecting responses. While they can mock responses or save request collections, they don’t act as full-fledged proxies for intercepting traffic from other applications or devices. Guillermo Rauch’s comment, “you’d be surprised how much you can learn about any system by watching what it does over the network,” highlights Proxyman’s unique ability to observe system-wide network behavior, which API clients don’t offer. Paw is mentioned in one testimonial, but in the context of API development, not network proxying.

Proxyman carves out its niche by focusing specifically on the robust interception, inspection, and manipulation of HTTP/HTTPS traffic for debugging purposes across various platforms macOS, iOS, Android, backend services with a strong emphasis on a native, performant, and user-friendly macOS experience.

Comprehensive Features List: What Proxyman Offers

Proxyman’s website details an extensive list of features, categorized into “Basic Features” and “Advanced Features,” providing a clear overview of its capabilities.

This list is crucial for developers to assess if the tool meets their specific needs.

Basic Features

These are the fundamental capabilities expected from any reputable HTTP proxy tool, often serving as the foundation for more advanced debugging.

• Inspect HTTP/HTTPS traffic in plain text: The core functionality, allowing decrypted viewing of network requests and responses.
• SSL Proxying: The ability to intercept and decrypt secure HTTPS traffic, essential for modern web and mobile applications.
• Proxying on iOS Devices, iOS Simulator and Android: Comprehensive support for mobile debugging environments.
• Export Requests/Responses: Ability to save network data for later analysis, sharing, or documentation.
• Content Filter: Basic filtering to quickly find relevant traffic based on simple criteria.
• Body Syntax Highlighting: Improves readability of JSON, XML, HTML, etc., in request/response bodies.
• JSON/ Tree View Format: Presents structured data like JSON in an easily navigable tree format.
• Horizontal/Vertical Layout: Customizable UI layout to suit user preferences and screen real estate.
• Finder Categorize: Likely refers to organization or categorization of network requests within the UI.
• Multiple Tabs: Allows users to work on different debugging sessions or views concurrently.
• Custom Previewer Tabs: Ability to define how certain content types are displayed.
• Custom Header Columns: Customize which header fields are displayed in the main traffic view.
• Highlight with Color & Add Comment: Personalize and annotate network requests for better organization and recall.
• MessagePack Body Previewer: Support for inspecting MessagePack formatted data, indicating broader protocol support.
• JSONPath Filter: Advanced filtering based on paths within JSON data.
• Customize Toolbar: Tailor the application’s toolbar to include frequently used actions.

These basic features form a solid foundation, ensuring that core debugging needs are met with a focus on readability and usability. Goodreads.com Reviews

Advanced Features

This section highlights the more sophisticated capabilities that truly differentiate Proxyman and empower users with deeper control and automation.

• Proxy Helper Tool: Likely a utility to assist with proxy setup or certificate management.
• Map Local File/Directory: Mock responses from local files or entire directories, crucial for decoupled development and testing.
• Map Remote: Redirect requests from one URL to another, useful for testing against different environments or fallback servers.
• Breakpoint: Intercept and modify requests/responses on the fly before they are sent or received.
• No Caching: Disable caching to ensure fresh requests are always made, useful for debugging caching issues.
• Repeat Requests: Re-send previous requests, essential for testing API endpoints iteratively.
• Compose Requests: Create and send custom HTTP requests from scratch, like a mini-Postman built-in.
• WebSocket Debugging: Inspect and manipulate WebSocket traffic, a key feature for real-time applications.
• Save Session: Save an entire debugging session to reload later or share with team members.
• Block List: Block specific URLs or domains, useful for preventing unwanted traffic or simulating network failures.
• Allow List: Only allow traffic from specified URLs or domains, for focused debugging.
• External Proxying HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS/PAC: Configure Proxyman to route its traffic through another proxy server, for complex network setups.
• Protobuf: Support for inspecting Protocol Buffer formatted data, relevant for gRPC and other systems using Protobuf.
• Import Charles Proxy files: Facilitates migration from Charles Proxy, showing a clear understanding of user needs.
• Custom Root & Client & Server Certificates: Advanced certificate management for specific security or testing scenarios.
• Wildcard & Regex Matching Rules: Flexible pattern matching for various rules, enhancing control over filtering and manipulation.
• Scripting ReWrite: Programmatically manipulate requests and responses using JavaScript.
• JS Addons and Snippet Code: Pre-built scripts and extensions to accelerate scripting.
• Atlantis framework for iOS: Integration with a specific iOS framework, indicating specialized mobile development support.
• GraphQL Debugging: Dedicated tools for inspecting and manipulating GraphQL traffic.
• Network Condition Network Throttling: Simulate various network speeds e.g., 3G, Wi-Fi to test application behavior under different network conditions.
• Multiple Filters: Advanced combination of filtering criteria for precision.
• Publish to Gist: Share captured requests/responses or scripts directly to GitHub Gist.
• Reverse Proxy: Act as a reverse proxy, routing incoming requests to different backend services.
• Code Generator: Generate code snippets for requests, useful for replicating API calls in different programming languages.
• Command Line: Potentially allows interaction with Proxyman from the terminal, for automation or scripting.
• Diff for Request/Response: Compare two requests or responses visually.
• Access Control: Likely for team environments, controlling who can access or modify certain settings.
• Automatic/Manual Setup: Flexibility in how proxy settings are configured.
• DNS Spoofing: Redirect DNS lookups to specific IP addresses, useful for testing against local development servers.
• SOCKS Proxy: Support for SOCKS protocol for proxying.
• Custom Filters: Create and save custom filter configurations.

This extensive list demonstrates Proxyman’s commitment to providing a powerful, flexible, and comprehensive toolset for developers tackling a wide range of network debugging challenges, from simple inspection to complex traffic manipulation and environmental simulation.

FAQs

What is Proxyman.com?

Based on looking at the website, Proxyman.com is the official website for Proxyman, a native macOS application designed for developers to capture, decrypt, and mock HTTPs requests and responses with powerful debugging tools.

What are the main features of Proxyman?

Proxyman offers a comprehensive suite of features including HTTP/HTTPS traffic capture and decryption, multiple filters, GraphQL debugging, scripting, breakpoint modification, Map Local/Remote tools, Diff tool for comparison, and support for iOS/Android and various backend environments.

Is Proxyman a native macOS app?

Yes, based on the website’s description, Proxyman is highlighted as a “best-in-class native macOS app” with meticulous attention to detail, optimized for Apple M1/M2/M3 performance. Routine.com Reviews

Can Proxyman decrypt HTTPS traffic?

Yes, Proxyman acts as a man-in-the-middle server that can capture and decrypt HTTPS traffic, allowing you to inspect requests and responses in plain text.

How does Proxyman compare to Charles Proxy?

Based on user testimonials on Proxyman.com, many developers consider Proxyman a superior alternative to Charles Proxy due to its native macOS interface, better performance, simplified certificate installation especially on iOS Simulators, and overall enhanced user experience.

Does Proxyman support mobile debugging?

Yes, Proxyman provides easy-to-follow instructions to capture HTTPs traffic from iOS devices, iOS Simulators with zero-setup, Android devices, and Android Emulators.

Can I mock API responses with Proxyman?

Yes, the Map Local Tool in Proxyman allows developers to mock responses with local files, including custom status codes, headers, and body content, which helps in boosting development speed.

What is the Scripting Tool in Proxyman used for?

The Scripting Tool allows developers to use JavaScript code to manipulate HTTPs requests and responses on the fly with custom logic, offering a flexible and powerful way to debug complex scenarios. Pushbullet.com Reviews

Does Proxyman offer a free trial?

Yes, the website indicates that users can “Get started for free,” implying a free trial or a free tier of the application is available for evaluation.

What kind of backend technologies does Proxyman support for debugging?

Proxyman offers zero-setup inspection of HTTPs traffic from popular backend languages and their HTTP client libraries, including NodeJS, Ruby, Python, and Golang.

Can Proxyman help with GraphQL debugging?

Yes, Proxyman provides specialized GraphQL Debugging features, allowing you to define matching rules with particular GraphQL QueryNames and integrate with other tools like Breakpoint and Map Local.

Is there a Diff Tool in Proxyman?

Yes, Proxyman includes a built-in Diff Tool to quickly find and visualize the differences between requests and responses, offering both side-by-side or unified displays.

How does Proxyman handle SSL certificates?

Proxyman acts as a man-in-the-middle, generating its own SSL certificate. Swipepages.com Reviews

It provides built-in macOS setup and straightforward walkthroughs for mobile devices to install and trust its self-signed certificate to enable HTTPS decryption.

Can I automate tasks with Proxyman?

The Scripting Tool allows for programmatic manipulation of requests/responses, and the Command Line feature suggests potential for automation or integration into developer workflows.

Does Proxyman support WebSockets?

Yes, Proxyman explicitly lists “WebSocket Debugging” as an advanced feature, indicating its capability to inspect and interact with WebSocket traffic.

Can I import data from Charles Proxy into Proxyman?

Yes, Proxyman includes an “Import Charles Proxy files” feature, which facilitates a smooth transition for users switching from Charles Proxy.

What are the pricing options for Proxyman?

The website mentions “Buy license key” and “Lifetime deal” for the macOS app, suggesting a one-time purchase model rather than a subscription.

Specific pricing details would be found upon proceeding to purchase.

Are there tutorials available for Proxyman?

Yes, the website points to “Proxyman Tutorials” and mentions collaborations with “KODECO” and “GDG,” indicating a strong focus on providing educational content for users.

Can Proxyman simulate different network conditions?

Yes, Proxyman offers a “Network Condition Network Throttling” feature, allowing developers to simulate various network speeds and conditions to test application behavior.

Is Proxyman suitable for individual developers or teams?

Based on the website’s claims, Proxyman is “Trusted by 250,000+ developers worldwide From individuals to teams of all sizes,” suggesting it caters to both individual needs and collaborative development environments.