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HTTP Monitoring with CharlesWith Ajax applications, there's often a need to see what information is being transported back and forth. Am I sending what I'm supposed to? Am I getting back the right response? Most JavaScript developers have Firebug locked and loaded but its requirement to post data back to the server just to inspect the request isn't always a very pracitical solution. The information you get back may not always be the complete picture. Alternative otions include firefox addons Live HTTP Headers and HttpFox. These are great options for quick and dirty sniffing but for a more thorough and featureful solution, there's only one tool that I go to: Charles. Charles ia a cross-platform desktop application that acts as a proxy for all web requests, no matter what browser they come from; it can even inspect Flash-originated requests and Adobe AIR application requests. As the proxy, it's able to see all the information flowing back and forth and provide a detailed peek at every request and response. One of my favourite features — and where it stands out from the Firefox addons — is the ability to view XML, JSON and even AMF data structures. It's easy to see right away if a request was successful or not and you get access to all of the request and response headers. Firefox manages its own proxy server settings and requires a Charles addon which can be downloaded from the Charles web site. This will allow Charles to automatically turn on the proxy with no other intervention. I have two minor issues with it, though. For one, Charles can cause SSL certificate error messages for HTTPS connections. Secondly, while it can replay a request (and allow you to edit what information is sent in that request), you can't see that replay within the browser. For this reason, I like to use Live HTTP Headers in this situation, which does allow you to do this, although its interface is awkward and prone to generate server errors. Otherwise, Charles is a staple of my toolset and one o f my favourite tools for request and response inspection.    More Recent Articles |
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