Charles for Mac

Mac-focused web proxy overview

Charles is a macOS web-debugging proxy that records and displays network requests between your machine and the internet. It intercepts both HTTP and HTTPS traffic so you can examine what is being sent and received, helping diagnose problems and optimize web and API interactions.

Major capabilities

• Inspect request and response headers, cookies, and query strings in detail
• Modify outgoing requests or incoming responses on the fly for testing
• Throttle network speed to reproduce slow or constrained connections
• Intercept and decrypt HTTPS (SSL/TLS) sessions for deeper analysis
• Watch live traffic flows and visualize the sequence of requests and responses

Who should use it

This tool is aimed at developers, QA engineers, and any tester working with web services or APIs who need to trace, debug, or manipulate HTTP-based communication. It simplifies troubleshooting by revealing hidden payloads and headers that are otherwise difficult to observe.

Free alternative recommendation

If you prefer a no-cost option, consider Godspeed (free). It offers a comparable set of utilities for inspecting and adjusting web traffic, including request editing and bandwidth simulation, making it a practical choice for projects on a budget.

Typical workflows

• Reproducing API errors by capturing the exact request/response exchange
• Verifying header and cookie behavior during authentication flows
• Simulating poor network conditions to test client resilience
• Editing parameters or payloads to validate backend handling without changing client code