About HttpWatch: HTTP Debugger
π HttpWatch β a clearer, easier-to-use network panel for Chrome
Same network data as the DevTools Network panel, with far less digging. Requests are grouped by page. Headers, cookies and timings are one click away, with the time chart still in view. Hover over any header and a tip explains what it does.
β¨οΈ Press Ctrl+Shift+H on any page to start.
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β οΈ IMPORTANT β WINDOWS APP REQUIRED
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This extension connects Chrome to the HttpWatch desktop application. It does NOT work on its own.
π Download HttpWatch for Windows: https://www.httpwatch.com/download/
π The Basic Edition is free and installs into your own Windows account, with no administrator rights needed.
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β¨ Why HttpWatch is easier to work with
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π Requests grouped by page
Every page you visit gets its own heading, so a log in, search and checkout flow stays readable from start to finish.
πͺ Details without losing your place
Click a request and its headers, cookies and timings open below the grid, while the request list and time chart stay in view.
π‘ Headers explained as you hover
You don't need to know the HTTP RFC. Hover over a header and a tip explains what it does and how it's used.
π© Problems flagged for you
Warnings appear right in the log for requests that could be faster, weak HTTPS setups, blocked cookies (with the reason) and wrong content types.
β±οΈ Timings you can read at a glance
Millisecond timings for DNS, connect, TLS and wait, with Render Start and Page Load on the same chart, plus summaries for a page, a selection or the whole log.
π Logs that are safe to share
Saved HWL logs include the browser console output, and suspected password fields are masked by default.
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π HttpWatch vs the DevTools Network panel
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β DevTools: one flat list, or cleared on every navigation
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HttpWatch: requests grouped under each page
β DevTools: opening a request hides the waterfall
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HttpWatch: details and time chart stay visible together
β DevTools: performance insights need a separate tool
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HttpWatch: warnings show up right in the request log
β DevTools: HAR export only
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HttpWatch: HWL, HAR, CSV or XML
π Full comparison: https://www.httpwatch.com/compare/
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π€ Get a usable log from anyone
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Asking a customer or tester to "open DevTools and export a HAR" rarely goes well. With HttpWatch it takes three simple steps:
1οΈβ£ They install the free Basic Edition. It installs into their own Windows account, so they don't need admin rights, IT, proxies or certificates.
2οΈβ£ They reproduce the problem and click Save. The .hwl file has every request, timing and console message, with passwords masked.
3οΈβ£ You open it in HttpWatch Professional and see the full detail for every site in the log, without needing a browser.
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π No proxy, no certificates
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HttpWatch records traffic right inside Chrome:
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No proxy settings to change
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No root certificate to trust
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HTTPS shows up with nothing extra to install
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Cache hits, console output and page timings captured too
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π₯ Who HttpWatch is for
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π§βπ» Web developers debugging pages and API calls
π§ͺ QA teams reproducing web application issues
π οΈ Support engineers collecting diagnostic logs from customers
π Anyone who wants to learn HTTP and see what the browser is really doing
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π Free and Professional editions
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π HttpWatch Basic Edition is free. It records everything, but only displays full detail (headers, cookies, content and so on) for popular sites such as google.com and amazon.com.
β HttpWatch Professional Edition shows full detail for every site, including logs recorded by Basic Edition users.
π Compare editions: https://www.httpwatch.com/editions/
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π‘οΈ Privacy
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HttpWatch is a local debugging tool. The extension passes the traffic it records to the HttpWatch application on your PC. Recorded traffic stays on your PC unless you choose to save and share a log file.
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Requirements
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β’ Google Chrome 105 or later
β’ Windows 10 or later, or Windows Server 2016 or later
β’ HttpWatch for Windows from https://www.httpwatch.com/download/
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