Proxyman
Native macOS app for HTTP(s) debugging & mocking
What is Proxyman? Complete Overview
Proxyman is a powerful native macOS application designed for developers to capture, inspect, and manipulate HTTP/HTTPS traffic with ease. It serves as a man-in-the-middle proxy that decrypts and displays network traffic in plain text, offering a complete suite of debugging tools. The tool solves critical pain points for developers working with APIs, mobile apps, and web services by providing visibility into network requests and responses without changing client code. Trusted by over 350,000 developers worldwide, Proxyman stands out with its native macOS performance, intuitive UI, and comprehensive feature set that includes traffic interception for iOS/Android devices, GraphQL debugging, scripting capabilities, and advanced filtering. It's particularly valuable for mobile developers, backend engineers, and anyone working with web services who needs to diagnose network issues or mock API responses during development.
Proxyman Interface & Screenshots
Proxyman Official screenshot of the tool interface
What Can Proxyman Do? Key Features
HTTP/HTTPS Traffic Capture
Proxyman acts as a man-in-the-middle server that captures all traffic between your applications and web servers. With built-in macOS setup, it decrypts SSL/TLS traffic allowing you to inspect HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses in plain text with just one click. The tool supports Apple Silicon chips and maintains super-fast performance even with extensive traffic.
Multiple Filters
Narrow down search results with Proxyman's powerful filtering system. Combine complex criteria like protocol, content-type, URL, request headers, response headers, and body content to pinpoint exactly what you're looking for. The advanced filtering goes beyond basic URL matching to help developers quickly isolate specific network calls.
GraphQL Debugging
Easily debug GraphQL requests by creating matching rules based on GraphQL QueryName. This specialized feature works seamlessly with Proxyman's other tools including Breakpoint, Map Local, Map Remote, and Scripting Tool. Developers can inspect GraphQL operations without additional tooling.
Scripting Tool
For advanced manipulation, Proxyman offers a JavaScript-based scripting tool that lets developers write custom logic to modify requests and responses. The tool comes with a library of snippet codes and JS libraries to accelerate debugging workflows, making it 100x faster than manual inspection.
Breakpoint Tool
Modify requests and responses on-the-fly without changing client code. The Breakpoint Tool supports modifications to URL, headers, body, status code, and raw messages. This powerful feature allows developers to test different scenarios by intercepting and altering network traffic.
Map Local Tool
Mock API responses instantly by mapping endpoints to local files. This tool boosts development speed by allowing developers to modify responses with custom status codes, headers, and bodies without waiting for backend changes. Perfect for frontend developers working against API specifications.
Diff Tool
Quickly identify differences between requests/responses with Proxyman's built-in Diff Tool. It offers side-by-side or unified display options with light/dark GitHub themes, making it easy to spot changes in API behavior or debug issues between environments.
Zero-Setup Mobile Debugging
Capture traffic from iOS/Android devices, simulators, and emulators with minimal configuration. Proxyman provides straightforward walkthroughs for setting up proxies on physical devices and automatic configuration for simulators, eliminating manual certificate installation hassles.
Terminal Integration
Automatically capture HTTP(s) traffic from backend processes running in Terminal. Proxyman offers pre-configured Terminal apps that set up HTTP proxy and trust certificates automatically, supporting NodeJS, Ruby, Python, Golang, and other popular backend technologies.
Best Proxyman Use Cases & Applications
Mobile App Development
Mobile developers use Proxyman to inspect API calls from iOS/Android apps running on devices or simulators. The automatic certificate installation eliminates setup headaches, while features like Map Local allow mocking API responses during development.
API Integration Testing
Developers integrating with third-party APIs leverage Proxyman to inspect raw requests and responses. The Breakpoint tool helps test edge cases by modifying requests on-the-fly, while scripting enables automated testing scenarios.
Performance Optimization
Teams use Proxyman's traffic capture to identify slow API calls or unnecessary network requests. The Network Condition feature simulates different connection speeds to test app behavior under various network conditions.
Debugging Production Issues
When reproducing bugs reported by users, developers use Proxyman to capture network traffic identical to the user's environment. The ability to export sessions helps teams collaborate on solving complex issues.
Educational Purposes
Students and educators use Proxyman to understand how web applications communicate with servers. The visual interface provides clear insight into HTTP protocols, headers, and payloads.
How to Use Proxyman: Step-by-Step Guide
Download and install Proxyman from the official website. The macOS app is optimized for Apple Silicon and supports all modern macOS versions. Installation includes automatic setup of proxy settings and SSL certificates.
Configure your target application or device to route traffic through Proxyman. For macOS apps, this happens automatically. For mobile devices or simulators, follow the intuitive setup guides provided within the app.
Begin capturing traffic by interacting with your application. Proxyman will automatically display all HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses in real-time, organized by application or domain.
Use filters to narrow down traffic or leverage advanced tools like Breakpoint, Map Local, or Scripting to modify requests/responses as needed. The intuitive UI makes these powerful features accessible.
Analyze traffic using features like the Diff Tool, JSON viewer, or export capabilities. Save sessions for later review or share with team members.
Proxyman Pros and Cons: Honest Review
Pros
Considerations
Is Proxyman Worth It? FAQ & Reviews
Proxyman's perpetual license means you pay once and own the software forever. While you receive updates for one year, you can continue using the last version indefinitely without additional payments.
Yes, licenses are transferable. You can deactivate Proxyman on an old device and reactivate it on a new one through the License Manager, making it easy to switch between development machines.
Yes, Proxyman supports Android devices and emulators with easy-to-follow setup instructions. It can capture and decrypt HTTPS traffic from Android apps just like iOS applications.
Proxyman offers similar functionality to Charles Proxy but with a more modern, native macOS interface, better performance on Apple Silicon, and simpler setup for iOS simulators. Many developers find Proxyman more intuitive for daily use.
Yes, Proxyman offers a free trial version with limited features that allows evaluation of core functionality. The trial lacks advanced tools like Breakpoint and Scripting but demonstrates the basic traffic inspection capabilities.
Yes, the premium version includes full WebSocket (WS/WSS) debugging capabilities, allowing developers to inspect WebSocket connections similarly to HTTP traffic.