Troubleshooting HTTPS connections with mitmproxy
Programming Snapshot – mitmproxy
© Lead Image © sergwsq and robert hyrons, 123RF.com
Finding the data zipping back and forth between the browser and server is not only interesting for snooping spies, but also for debugging developers. Mike Schilli gets you started with mitmproxy and shows how to customize it using Python scripts.
If things just don't work when you are developing a web application, the question immediately arises as to what data the browser and web server are actually exchanging. Tools for snooping on the network such as Wireshark (as well as proxies that sit between the client and the server) leave both requests and responses untouched, while logging them for inspection.
mitmproxy, which stands for man in the middle (MITM) proxy, is the king of the hill in this category; it makes the impossible possible by logging encrypted HTTPS requests. But first, let's look at the simplest, unencrypted case, for which my aging website perlmeister.com that still uses plain old unencrypted HTTP is a great choice.
Figure 1 shows how the browser retrieves the requested page's HTML text, along with some images and JavaScript snippets from the server. The mitmproxy tool, which is available for download as binary from [1], sports a terminal user interface (UI), which displays a double arrow to the left of the current request, called Flow in mitmproxy parlance. When you press the Enter key, the detailed request data come up, as shown in Figure 2.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.