Quick Start

Ready to debug your API traffic with Inspectr?

Inspectr makes it easy to monitor and debug HTTP traffic with zero-configuration CLI usage. This guide walks you through the installation and gets you started.

Quick start

---

1. Start Your Backend (Optional)

   If you’re testing against your own backend, make sure it’s running:

   # Example: Node.js/Express app on port 3000
   npm start

2. Start Inspectr

   Run Inspectr and point it to your local backend:

   npx @inspectr/inspectr --backend=http://localhost:3000

   • This starts the Inspectr proxy on port 8080.
   • The Inspectr App UI is available at http://localhost:4004.
   

3. Make Your First Request

   Send a request through Inspectr to see it in action:

   curl http://localhost:8080/hello

   In the terminal, you’ll see a color-coded log of the request.

   In the browser, go to http://localhost:4004 to view full request/response details in real time.

4. Inspect in the App

   

   Use the Inspectr UI to:

   • View headers, query params, and request body
   • See backend response data
   • Filter or replay previous requests

Optional

Use Catch Mode (No Backend)

If you don’t have a backend, enable catch mode to accept and inspect any HTTP requests:

npx @inspectr/inspectr --catch=true

Every request will return a 200 OK with no forwarding. Great for testing tools or webhooks!

Expose Publicly

To expose Inspectr to receive external requests (like webhooks):

npx @inspectr/inspectr --backend=http://localhost:3000 --expose --channel=hello-world --channel-code=secure123

Your service is now available at:

https://hello-world.in-spectr.dev

---

Next Step:

CLI Options →

Discover all available flags and how to use a .inspectr.yaml file to customize Inspectr for your workflow.