Have you recently visited a website and seen a server failure scenario or got a failing request? Such problems happen because coding errors manifest themselves into genuine problems. If these issues keep happening, you’ll likely lose users. As you know, loss of website visitors results in loss of revenue. Therefore, you cannot take these problems lightly.
Coding problems are costly, but you cannot ignore them. Developers need to find coding issues and fix them as soon as possible. Also, it is pertinent that website developers continue searching the applications or websites to detect such problems and resolve them quickly.
There are several ways to conduct mock scenarios and tests. One of the best and most holistic approaches is using web debugging proxy tools, such as Proxyman. This debugging proxy tool is designed for macOS, and the app automatically generates certificates. The app acts as a middleman, and users can categorize domains and apps, identify bugs, view HTTP/HTTPs, etc. You can learn more about Proxyman at https://setapp.com/apps/proxyman.
Similarly, other debugging proxy tools are available in the market for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Fiddler is one such application, and there are other great alternatives that you can check out.
Now, take a look at how debugging proxy tools help eliminate errors.
Meaning of web debugging
Web debugging refers to the process of revealing errors in your application. First, you can capture responses and requests to detect bugs by analyzing the HTTP(S) network traffic. After that, it is possible to narrow down the root cause of the problem and work toward fixing it.
Web debugging proxy tools are used after you have fixed the error. The tools help test it again before you have to make any changes to the code.
It isn’t an easy task when it comes to tracking down network issues. It isn’t easy to sort through the magnitude of requests coming in. The entire process may appear overwhelming, but there are easy solutions to break it down, so the operation is much more manageable. In addition, it will help you in delivering the outcomes that you are expected to deliver.
Reasons to debug network traffic
Building an application and releasing it without conducting appropriate testing isn’t something that developers can get away with. Today, the systems have become much more complicated, and there are specific steps that developers need to take to test and analyze the quality of their applications. A crucial part of a developer’s development and release strategy is debugging network traffic. Here’s why it’s important.
- Tracking and inspecting network traffic enable developers to proactively assess and discover bugs before they become a huge mess and become unmanageable.
- All the guesswork is removed with the help of debugging. Debugging proxy tools are vital because they help pinpoint the specific problem spot in the code and assist developers in understanding the cause of the problem. Therefore, it becomes considerably effortless to solve the issue.
- By leveraging a web debugging proxy tool, developers can review the network traffic in parts and view the errors much more prominently. Also, the tools help scan the app in real-time and ensure it is free of bugs. So, when the app or website is launched, users don’t have to face issues.
Want to debug your web application? Here are a few tips
When debugging your web application, you can follow these steps. It will help you get back to business quickly, and there won’t be any fear of losing visitors or users.
- The first step is to check all requests. You need to find out if there are any missing requests and check the cache. You need to find out if there are 400 status codes, and for that, you can check the URL. Assess the authorization header to find out about any 403 and 401 status codes. You can check for 404 status codes, and if you see those codes, the culprit is typically a wrong URL. Finally, assess the background and server services and determine if there are 5xx status codes.
- The second step is to assess the response content. You have to determine if the body is in the correct format by going through the accept header. It is crucial to inspect how the returned results in the code are treated to find out if the response body is in the appropriate structure. Also, you need to check compression headers and update them accordingly.
- The third step is to keep an eye out for the response times. If the response is slow, you need to look for extra conditions.
- The fourth step is to check the response and request sizes. You must segregate between the largest and smallest requests. Also, find out if the resources are CSS, HTML or JS compressed or minified. Ensure the server returns more information than what you had requested.
So, what debugging proxy tool are you using for testing your apps and websites? It is high time you consider using one if you don’t want to lose visitors and revenue.
