Debugging with proxies

A web proxy allows you to route web traffic through an intermediary.

It’s a helpful tool for debugging because you can inspect the traffic “in the middle”. It’s simply a matter of configuration and doesn’t require code changes in the client or server. This makes it extra helpful when debugging with black box clients or servers.

Even if your traffic is protected with SSL, with a bit more configuration, you can still read your own data. You can even set up proxies for devices like a mobile phone or a video game console devkit.

One of the oldest and most popular solutions for this is Charles Proxy.

Thanks to Gene Chuang for reminding me about Charles Proxy!