Forwarder

Forwarder is a really handy tool that acts as a MITM (Man-In-The-Middle) proxy, and it comes with PAC (Proxy Auto-Configuration) support. It’s mainly used for debugging and messing around with HTTP traffic. Plus, it’s a key part of Sauce Labs Sauce Connect Proxy.

Why Use Forwarder?

The whole idea behind this software is to give you a flexible way to debug, intercept, and manipulate HTTP traffic easily. Installing it is pretty simple too! You can follow platform-specific instructions or just grab the Docker image if you prefer that route. The interface might be console-based, but don’t worry—it’s user-friendly enough for both beginners and pros.

PAC File Support

One cool feature is its ability to work with Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) files. This means you can set up how your proxy behaves depending on URL patterns. And guess what? You can even customize DNS server settings!

Boosting Security

If you're all about security, you’ll love that Forwarder lets you add headers and basic authentication to requests and responses for both websites and proxies. This means you can inject extra HTTP headers into the chats between clients and servers, adding some custom flair as well as security to your data.

Protocol Compatibility

You can use Forwarder to proxy various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, WebSockets, Server Sent Events (SSE), and even generic TCP! This broad compatibility makes it perfect for all sorts of situations where flexibility in your proxy setup is key.

Upstream Proxies

It also works with upstream HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 proxies so you can tweak your proxy settings just the way you like them. And when it comes to security, Forwarder takes things seriously with its MITM support for HTTPS traffic. This feature allows you to intercept and inspect encrypted HTTPS communications—super important for debugging secure traffic!

Your Go-To Proxy Solution

In short, Forwarder mixes security, flexibility, and ease of use together nicely. It’s an awesome choice if you're looking for a reliable command-line proxy solution that you can customize however you need.

If you're ready to get started with Forwarder, head over here!