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What is Debugging?
If you watch crime dramas, then the idea behind debugging will not be alien to you.
Debugging is a process, and it involves a lot of tactics.
It is the systematic finding and resolving problems and errors within a program.
The process ofdebugging your APIor web program primarily involves an attempt to reproduce the problem.
Consequently, the need to send out an API request emerges.
Now, this is where the problem lies.
Most browsers will prevent you from changing the origin header, and even the limits on URL size.
In other words, to reproduce the issue, you may need to perform some HTTP manipulations.
And this will require some powerful debugging tools.
These tools can be used to debug APIs.
With this in mind, it is not necessary to write your debugging tool.
What is HTTP Client?
Then you may want to look at the HTTP client component.
It is an system protocol that makes browsing the internet possible.
It is essential to know the differences between an HTTP client and the HTTP server.
Similarly, the HTTP server is the web link computer that the HTTP client connects to.
The relationship they share is more of a conversational one.
Where the HTTP client sends a request and the HTTP server responds.
Examples of HTTP Requests
Debugging the web has never been easier.
With these tools, you’ve got the option to finally relax while you do what you enjoy.
HTTPie
The ultimate aim ofHTTPieis to make CLI interaction with web services user interface friendly.
This tool provides an HTTP command for sending requests, all with the use of a natural syntax.
HTTPie can be used for debugging, testing, and connecting with HTTP servers.
It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and proxies.
Highlights
Dont want to install HTTPie locally?
No worries, now you could run itonline.
Fiddler
Fiddleris a cross-platform web debugging proxy.
you might install Fiddler on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
It is probably the most popular tool to debug traffic.
RESTer
RESTeris available as an extension for Google Chrome and Firefox.
Paw
Pawis a full-featured HTTP client, which allows you to send all kinds of HTTP requests.
With Paw, you could test your APIs and also explore new ones.
Paw is exclusively built formacOS, and it has features that are easy to use.
you’re free to import and generate swagger, RAML, etc.
and it supports JSON schema.
Requester
Requesteris a robust client that combines the features of HTTPie, Postman, and Paw.
It works only with Sublime Text editor.
Postman
Always working on APIs?
Youll fall in love with Postman.
Postmanis unarguably one of the more popular HTTP clients used for debugging web applications.
It allows for faster and easier API development.
cURL
cURLis a command-line tool that is used for sending data using URL syntax.
The good thing, cURL is by default installed on most of the UNIX-flavored operating systems.
Charles Proxy
As the name says,Charles proxyis an HTTP and reverse proxy.
It works by routing local traffic through it.
First, you gotta install NodeJS and then Whistle using npm.
you could always extend the features with the plugin if default features dont suit your requirements.
mitmproxy
mitmproxyis a popular open-source HTTPS proxy among security researchers.
Use it as a CLI, web, or Python API.
The web interface gives you the look and feel of Chrome developer tools.
It supports HTTP/2 as well.
Proxyman
Similar to the above-mentioned Paw,Proxymanis a premium native macOS web debugging proxy software.
It acts as a man-in-the-middle for web traffic and offers many features, including the following.
Proxyman UI is very human friendly.
HTTP Toolkit
HTTP Toolkitis an open-source HTTP debugger.
Its a desktop app available for Windows, Mac & Linux.
Conclusion
The above HTTP clients and web debugging proxy can help you in many ways.
