mitmproxy
mitmproxy.org
What it is
mitmproxy is a free set of tools for inspecting and changing traffic sent through a proxy. It handles HTTP/1, HTTP/2, WebSocket, and SSL/TLS traffic, and can intercept HTTP and HTTPS requests and responses for editing. Conversations can be saved for later analysis, and users can replay client requests or recorded server responses. The project provides an interactive console, a browser-based GUI, and non-interactive terminal output through mitmproxy, mitmweb, and mitmdump. Proxy modes include regular, local capture, WireGuard, reverse, transparent, TUN, upstream, SOCKS5, and DNS. Python addons can alter behavior in response to events and expose commands. WireGuard mode can capture traffic from external devices or individual Android apps. A built-in certificate authority generates interception certificates as needed. Installation options cover Windows, macOS, Linux, PyPI, and official Docker images. The project says it does not phone home or check for updates. Documentation notes that HTTP/3 client replay is currently broken; dependencies in precompiled binaries and Docker images are fixed at release and cannot be updated in place.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- mitmproxy is an interactive SSL/TLS-capable proxy for inspecting, modifying and replaying HTTP, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSocket and other protected traffic.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Support
- Usage questions and bug reports are directed to GitHub Discussions and the project repository.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Addon options
- Third-party addons can define typed options that work through the shared configuration file and interactive editors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Authentication replay limit
- Sticky authentication supports HTTP Basic replay, while HTTP Digest replay is not supported.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Binary maintenance risk
- Bundled binary dependencies are frozen per release and are not updated in place, so users are told to update regularly.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Binary security limit
- Dependencies in precompiled binaries and Docker images are frozen at release and cannot be updated in place; the documentation recommends updating regularly.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Certificate handling
- Mitmproxy includes a certificate authority implementation that generates interception certificates on the fly.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Company founders
- The project identifies Aldo Cortesi as founder and lists Maximilian Hils and Thomas Kriechbaumer among core developers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Customization
- Python addons can respond to events to change proxy behavior, and can expose commands for users to invoke.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Documentation
- The documentation includes tutorials, concepts, installation guidance, feature references, options and addon examples.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Ecosystem
- The official site highlights community addons, mitmproxy2swagger for OpenAPI conversion and kubetap for Kubernetes service proxying.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Independent review availability
- A 2026 HTTP debugging comparison reports no comparable mainstream product-review sample for mitmproxy and therefore adds no review-based satisfaction claim.Read 15 Oct 2026 · proxidize-new-landingpage-production.up.railway.app
- Independent review score
- Legit.Show reports a public-surface production-readiness score of 68 out of 100 measured on 2026-10-08.Read 15 Oct 2026 · legit.show
- Installation
- Official installation paths cover macOS Homebrew, Linux binaries, Windows installers, PyPI, WSL and Docker images.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Interfaces
- The project provides a terminal interface called mitmproxy, a headless command-line tool called mitmdump and a browser interface called mitmweb.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Licence
- The repository code is released under the permissive MIT licence.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: certificate pinning
- Independent reviews report that applications using certificate pinning reject the proxy certificate and require separate bypass work such as instrumentation or repackaging.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
- Limit: large bodies
- Official documentation warns that enabling streaming removes body visibility and prevents body modifications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Limit: mobile trust changes
- An independent review notes that modern Android and iOS apps may ignore user-installed CAs, requiring debugging changes, instrumentation or rooted/jailbroken devices.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appsecsanta.com
- Limit: setup learning curve
- An independent review says the README omits invocation and certificate setup examples, leaving newcomers to consult the deeper documentation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
- Mobile traffic
- WireGuard mode can capture traffic from external devices or individual Android apps.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Praise: programmability
- An independent review highlights the Python addon API for rewriting requests, logging traffic and automating security tests.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appsecsanta.com
- Praise: protocol coverage
- An independent review credits mitmproxy with HTTP/1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSocket and TLS interception support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · appsecsanta.com
- Praise: three front ends
- An independent technical review praises the combination of console, command-line and web interfaces for serving interactive, automated and graphical workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · hysenlabs.com
- Project origin
- The project publication citation dates mitmproxy to 2010 onward.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Project team
- The about page names Aldo Cortesi as project founder and lists Maximilian Hils and Thomas Kriechbaumer among the developers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Protocol limit
- The documentation says HTTP/3 client replay is currently broken and that HTTP/3 support has been extensively tested only with cURL.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Proxy modes
- Supported modes include regular, local capture, WireGuard, reverse, transparent, TUN, upstream, SOCKS and DNS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Python API
- Python addons can modify, redirect, log and visualize traffic and implement custom commands through mitmdump.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Rating on Apple App Store
- The third-party app “mitmproxy client by txthinking” is rated 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
- Recording and replay
- It can save HTTP conversations for later analysis and replay client requests or previously recorded server responses.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Replay
- Recorded client conversations and server responses can be replayed for testing and analysis.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Security history
- The security page lists a high-severity mitmweb API authentication bypass published in February 2025 and a moderate LDAP injection issue published in April 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Security policy
- Only the main branch and latest release are supported for security fixes; denial-of-service issues are treated as ordinary bugs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Self-hosting
- The software runs locally or in official Docker images and does not require a vendor-hosted service.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Streaming behavior
- Large bodies can be streamed directly, but streamed body content cannot be inspected or modified by mitmproxy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Support and contributions
- The project directs usage questions, contributions, and bug reports to GitHub.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
- Traffic editing
- Users can intercept messages while they are moving and change requests or responses before forwarding them.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mitmproxy.org
- Update behavior
- The project says mitmproxy does not phone home and does not perform update checks.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.mitmproxy.org
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Intercepts and edits HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
- Saves conversations and replays requests or responses.
- Offers console, browser GUI, and terminal interfaces.
- Python addons can change proxy behavior.
- WireGuard mode can capture external-device traffic.
Limits
- HTTP/3 client replay is currently broken.
- Bundled binary and Docker dependencies cannot be updated in place.
- HTTP/3 testing has focused extensively on cURL.
Who it suits
mitmproxy suits developers and other users who need to inspect, edit, record, or replay proxy traffic. Its console, browser interface, terminal output, and Python addons offer different ways to work with that traffic.
Verdict
mitmproxy combines traffic editing and replay with several proxy modes and interfaces. Users relying on HTTP/3 replay or precompiled dependencies should account for the documented limits.
Where Specifiction places it
- Proxy Software#5 of 358.7
- Forward Proxy Software#4 of 258.5
- Web Debugging Proxies#5 of 278.7