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description How to capture and decrypt Websocket (WS/WSS) from iOS devices / simulators with Proxyman. Works with Google Chrome Web Browser or websocket from NodeJS, Python, Golang Backend Server

WebSocket

1. What's it?

Proxyman could capture WebSocket (WS) and Secure WebSocket (WSS) traffic and easily preview it.

  • Capture WS/WSS from iOS Physical devices and iOS Simulator (Required Atlantis framework)
  • Capture WS/WSS from Web Browser and Mac applications.
  • Capture WS/WSS from Android Physical devices or Android Emulators.
  • Prettier WebSocket Message.
  • Filter All / Sent / Received messages.
  • See the content in JSON / Tree Preview / HEX format.
  • Customize Columns: Frame, Length, Data, Time, ...
  • Auto-decode Binary Message to JSON if possible
  • Open WebSocket messages by external Editors, such as Sublime, VSCode

2. Capture WS/WSS from Web Browsers

Localhost websocket

Proxyman can capture localhost websocket, such as ws://localhost:3000, from Google Chrome by using the Automatic Setup

  1. Go to Setup Menu -> Automatic Setup
  2. Select Google Chrome (New Profile or Current Profile) -> New Google Chrome opens
  3. Try to access your localhost websocket here. Proxyman will capture it

Production websocket

Proxyman automatically captures your WS/WSS on Google Chrome, without configuring anything

  1. Open Proxyman, and your Google Chrome
  2. Make some WS/WSS traffic, such as https://echo.websocket.org/.ws
  3. Inspect WS/WSS data in Proxyman

Proxyman captures websocket traffic

Websocket with Protobuf Payload

From Proxyman macOS 6.5.0 or later, Proxyman can decode your websocket protobuf.

  1. Make sure Proxyman can capture your websocket traffic first
  2. Right-click on a websocket protobuf message -> Protobuf -> Decode
  • Raw mode: Useful if you don't have a Protobuf Desc file.
  • Message Type: Use Message Type from your protobuf desc file.

Decode websocket payload with Protobuf

Decode websocket payload with Protobuf

3. Capture WS/WSS from iOS

If your iOS app is using URLSessionWebSocketTask or iOS WebSocket libraries, e.g. Starscream, SocketRocket, etc. Proxyman might not be able to capture WS/WSS traffic.

✅ Solution 1 (Recommended for iOS 17 or later)

  1. Follow the Setup guide for your iOS Devices or iOS Simulators (Make sure we installed and trusted the certificate on your device)
  2. Proxyman Setup: Tools > Proxy Settings > SOCKS Proxy settings -> Enable it (Take note of the port)
  3. On the main Proxyman app -> Take note of a current IP in the Proxyman Tools bar

Get Proxyman current IP

  1. On your app: Configure a SOCK Proxy in your App, make sure this is only available for debug builds by implementing a switch or something, you might not want your release build with this configuration.
  • For NWConnection

{% code overflow="wrap" fullWidth="false" %}

let parameters = webSocketURL.scheme == "wss" ? NWParameters.tls : NWParameters.tcp

let options = NWProtocolWebSocket.Options()
options.autoReplyPing = true

parameters.defaultProtocolStack.applicationProtocols.insert(options, at: 0)

if #available(iOS 17.0, *) {
    let socksv5Proxy = NWEndpoint.hostPort(host: "x.x.x.x", port: 8889) //  Please x.x.x.x with a real Proxyman IP
    let config = ProxyConfiguration.init(socksv5Proxy: socksv5Proxy)
    let context = NWParameters.PrivacyContext(description: "my socksv5Proxy")
    context.proxyConfigurations = [config]

    parameters.setPrivacyContext(context)
}

let connection = NWConnection(to: .url(webSocketURL), using: parameters)
connection.start(queue: .main)

{% endcode %}

  • For URLSession and URLSessionWebSocketTask

{% code overflow="wrap" fullWidth="false" %}

private lazy var urlSession: URLSession = {
    let config = URLSessionConfiguration.default
    if #available(iOS 17.0, *) {
        let socksv5Proxy = NWEndpoint.hostPort(host: "x.x.x.x", port: 8889) //  Please x.x.x.x with a real Proxyman IP
        let proxyConfig = ProxyConfiguration.init(socksv5Proxy: socksv5Proxy)
        config.proxyConfigurations = [proxyConfig]
    }

    return URLSession(configuration: config, delegate: nil, delegateQueue: nil)
}()

{% endcode %}

  1. Done ✅

Capture Websocket from iOS with Proxyman

✅ Solution 2

Use Atlantis Framework (developed by Proxyman) to capture WS/WSS URLSessionWebSocketTask traffic from iOS.

Read more at https://github.com/ProxymanApp/atlantis

3. Capture WebSockets from your Web Browser (Chrome, Safari, etc)

  • Proxyman can capture WS/WSS from a Web Browser out of the box. No need to configure anything.
  • How to use: Open Google Chrome -> Visit your website that makes a WS/WSS connection -> Open Proxyman -> Find your websocket domains -> On the Response Panel -> Click Enable SSL Proxying on these domains. Open your Browser, and reload your website -> Proxyman will capture and decrypt WS/WSS ✅

4. Capture Websocket from NodeJS, Golang, Python Server

  • Proxyman can capture WS/WSS from your NodeJS, Golang, Python, and Ruby server.
  • How to use: Read automatic-setup.md to start your server on this Terminal -> Make a WS/WSS connection -> Proxyman automatically captures and decrypts it ✅

5. Map Websocket from Localhost <-> Production

It's possible to map the WebSocket Traffic from localhost <-> Production. Please check out the Map Remote Tool.