How I use Proxyman to see HTTP requests/responses on my iPhone?
Tags: ios, debugtool, proxy
Published: 2019-05-13 14:58:44

---
title: "How I use Proxyman to see HTTP requests/responses on my iPhone?"
published: true
description: 
tags: #iOS #debugtool #proxy
---
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/srl970m5y5yh470h984d.png)
Last month, I’ve found a newly developed application called Proxyman. It is a native macOS app and its features are so handy for debugging that I really want to share with others. In this post, I used the app to see Response content from Unsplash app on my device.

### 1. Configuration:
**1.1/ Download the app**

I downloaded the newest version from its website https://proxyman.io/
The UI is pretty clean and I can see all the requests coming right after opening the app

![This is the main screen with all captured requests when I open the app](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/zk0i59c7u2c0zbp13bud.png)

**1.2/ Setup Certificate for my iPhone** 

Then go to Certificate -> Install Certificate on iPhone Device. There would be an instruction to guide you how to configure certificate on iPhone/ iOS Simulator
![Click Certificate -> Install Certificate on iPhone Device]
(https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/tvv0aloq1208jkyy6xkb.png)

**1.3/ Config Wifi pointing to Proxyman**

Go to Setting -> Wifi -> (Select current Wifi) -> Configure Proxy -> Manual . Then I used the same Server and Port on Guideline to configure Proxy on my iPhone

![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/majpgvn17w3crk5iade9.png)
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/oja75xt5rxfbe1mos6rp.jpeg)

**1.4/ Allow permission to install Proxyman**

At this step, I saw all requests coming from my device on Proxyman app. However, in order to see content of Responses, I will need to install Proxyman Certificate
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/nsanj6krd7dk3m5knj77.png)

On my iPhone, I go to Safari -> http://proxyman.io/ssl -> Accept permission for installing Proxyman Certificate

**1.5/ Install Certificate from /ssl** 

Then go to Setting -> General -> Profile -> Select Proxyman -> Install
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/5iqvrmubnntivgqxnspy.png)

**1.6/ Trust Certificate on iPhone**

It is said that since the iOS 10.3+, we need to trust certificate manually. Thus, final step is go to Setting App -> General -> About -> Certificate Trust Settings -> Turn ON “Enable full trust for root certificates”
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/d2ovyat3ug5tqj0b0s4e.png)

You can see that all my iPhone’s requests showed up after I finished configuring proxy
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/4rtdary8n5xz97c0jz52.png)

### 2. Time to debug Unplash
OK, enough config. It’s time to actually see HTTP requests/ responses coming from Unsplash app

**2.1/ Search a domain**

I searched for app Unsplash with Command+Shift+F (You can also search the app using Search bar)

![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ddv57hyh5zla6x0hw4wf.png)

**2.2/ Pin a domain**

![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/dz4rhvna0yagags13rxb.png)
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/8ranlejh6ptwlccynn28.png)

This is one of interesting features of this app. I can Drag, Drop a specific domain into Pin section. I find it pretty useful to organize and focus, especially when I have to work with several applications, domains.

**2.3/ See HTTP content**

If you double click a request, you would see the Request and Response on the right panel. However, to see content of a Response, you will need to Enable domain and Reload the request.

![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/74pzqp6ch1nw5vu4cozw.png)

**2.4/ Open content with Editing tool**

![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/4ez1kw0359tg37lnkegh.png)

There is a small button on the top right corner. When I click to that, the app reveals some Editing tools that I am currently using. I can open my Response content to edit, which I found pretty convenient.
![](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/5vwotyro4jfgn45hyrdy.png)

**## What going next?**

If you are a tester or front-end developer, the odds are that you have been familiar with debugging tools like Charles. It is a powerful debugging app, but somehow it doesn’t fit me. Meanwhile, Proxyman is not fully-developed yet, but it seems to have many potentials. On the next post, I’ll compare some key features between Charles’s and Proxyman’s and what I think about the pros and cons of these 2 apps. How about you? What do you think about Charles and Proxyman?