Hetty vs mitmproxy
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A free, open-source web proxy for inspecting and testing HTTP traffic in security work.
Open source · MIT
Interactive proxy that lets you inspect and modify HTTP and HTTPS traffic from your machine.
The short answer
Choose Hetty if you need…
- Security researchers testing web applications
- Bug bounty hunters who want a free proxy with logging and search
- People who want to inspect and edit intercepted HTTP traffic
- Users comfortable running a local proxy and installing a root CA certificate
Choose mitmproxy if you need…
- Developers debugging how an app talks to a backend API
- Penetration testers inspecting traffic from a client application
- People who want to script or automate changes to web traffic with a command-line tool
- Anyone who prefers a browser-based view of intercepted traffic (mitmweb)
Side-by-side
| Hetty | mitmproxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.5k | 46.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | See the README |
| Main language | Go | Python |
| Last code update | 4 months ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Hetty
Hetty is an HTTP toolkit for security research that sits between your browser and a website as a man-in-the-middle proxy. It logs the requests and responses passing through, lets you search them, intercept and edit traffic before it is sent, and replay or craft requests. The project describes itself as an open-source alternative to commercial tools like Burp Suite Pro.
mitmproxy
mitmproxy is a proxy that sits between your device or app and the internet, so you can see the web requests and responses passing through it, including encrypted HTTPS (TLS) traffic. It offers a console interface (mitmproxy), a command-line tool (mitmdump, described as similar to tcpdump for HTTP), and a web interface (mitmweb). The README says it supports HTTP/1, HTTP/2, and WebSockets.
Best for
Hetty
- Security researchers testing web applications
- Bug bounty hunters who want a free proxy with logging and search
- People who want to inspect and edit intercepted HTTP traffic
- Users comfortable running a local proxy and installing a root CA certificate
mitmproxy
- Developers debugging how an app talks to a backend API
- Penetration testers inspecting traffic from a client application
- People who want to script or automate changes to web traffic with a command-line tool
- Anyone who prefers a browser-based view of intercepted traffic (mitmweb)
Strengths
Hetty
- Free and MIT-licensed, with source code available on GitHub
- Covers core proxy features: logging, interception, replay and scope in one tool
- Installable through common package managers on macOS, Linux and Windows, or via Docker
mitmproxy
- Handles encrypted HTTPS traffic, not just plain HTTP
- Offers three interfaces: console, command line, and web
- Open source under the MIT license with an active project (recent pushes and many stars)
Not ideal for
Hetty
- People looking for a fully polished, feature-complete replacement for Burp Suite Pro: the README says it is under active development and aims to become an alternative
- Anyone testing systems they do not have permission to test, since intercepting traffic raises legal and ethical issues
- Non-technical users who need a point-and-click tool with extensive guided help, since the README points to external docs for setup
mitmproxy
- Users who only need a simple browser debugging panel; built-in browser developer tools cover many of those cases
- People intercepting traffic they do not own or have permission to inspect, since it is designed to break open encrypted connections
Trade-offs
Hetty
- The README states it is under active development, so features may be incomplete or change
- Documentation is mainly external (hetty.xyz); the README itself gives only brief setup detail
- Intercepting HTTPS requires trusting its root CA certificate, which carries security implications if misused
mitmproxy
- Intercepting HTTPS requires installing and trusting mitmproxy's certificate on the device being tested, which is a setup step many newcomers find fiddly
- The README is short and points to external documentation for installation and tutorials, so this entry relies on that pointer
- The latest release listed has no prebuilt binaries, so you may need Python tooling or to follow the install docs
Getting started
Hetty
macOS (Homebrew)
brew install hettysoft/tap/hettyLinux (Snap)
sudo snap install hettymitmproxy
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mitmproxy/mitmproxyFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hetty and mitmproxy?
Hetty: A free, open-source web proxy for inspecting and testing HTTP traffic in security work. mitmproxy: Interactive proxy that lets you inspect and modify HTTP and HTTPS traffic from your machine. Hetty suits security researchers testing web applications, while mitmproxy suits developers debugging how an app talks to a backend api.
Are Hetty and mitmproxy free?
Hetty: Free and open source. mitmproxy: Free and open source.
Is Hetty or mitmproxy more popular?
mitmproxy has more GitHub stars (46.6k) than Hetty (12.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Hetty and mitmproxy?
Other options people compare them with include SpiderFoot, ProxyPool, ttyd.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.