Debugging the Web with Fiddler

1. Debugging the Web with Fiddler Ido Flatow Senior Architect Microsoft ASP.NET/IIS MVP SELA Group @idoflatow #devconnections

2. About Me • Senior Architect, Sela Group • Co-author of courses and books • Microsoft ASP.NET/IIS MVP • Focus on server, web, cloud, and DevOps • Manager of the Israeli WebDev User Group

3. Meet Fiddler…

4. Fiddler Facts • A proxy server • An HTTP/HTTPS Sniffer • An HTTP Debugger • Written in .NET / Mono • A free utility (for now, cross your fingers) • An extensible application • A must tool for web developers • Unfortunately, it doesn’t make coffee!

5. How Fiddler Works…

6. Fiddler by Scenarios Debugging Traffic Inspection Performance Tuning Testing

7. Scenario: Inspecting Traffic

8. The Sessions List Customizable Columns Manual comments Response size Sequence and color coding Caching information Origin process

9. Fiddler to the Rescue • Browsers (Static sites, ASP.NET, J2EE, PHP) • Desktop applications that use HTTP • Web services • Windows Phone Emulator • Any device that supports a proxy server ( )

10. The Right Inspector for the Job

11. Filter by… By specific process By host By process name/PID/svchost By URL By status code By MIME or size By process type QuickExec

12. Fiddler and HTTPS • HTTPS is secured - between two machines • Fiddler acts as a “machine-in-the-middle” • Generates certificates for web sites on-the-fly • Fiddler supports client certificates for authentication • Supports excludingproblematic HTTPS sites

13. Scenario: Performance Tuning

14. Understanding the Connection First connection From client to Fiddler Second connection From Fiddler to the server

15. Visualize the Traffic with Timeline End Start Bar = begin receive Disk = cached response Red = new connection Green = reused connection Bar color = MIME Stripes = buffered by Fiddler Prefer stream over buffer. Use buffer when editing responses

16. Statistics are Important • Single page statistics give info on performance • Client processing • Server processing • Network latency • Server time: ServerBeginResponse – ServerGotRequest • Upload time: ServerGotRequest – ClientDoneRequest • Download time: ServerDoneResponse – ServerBeginResponse • Watch out for misleading connection reuse • Add timer columns instead of calculating

17. Performance-related inspectors • Transformer • Image view • Caching • Cookies • HTML Inspector (3rd party)

18. Drawing Conclusions • Reduce number of requests • Reduce traffic roundtrips • Reduce the size of requests and responses • Applying compression where needed • Identify non-cached responses • Use Fiddler to improve performance, not to measure it!

19. Scenario: Debugging

20. Manipulating Traffic with Rules • Simulate user-agents • Disable sending cache headers • HOSTS file remapping • Custom rules

21. Play it Again, Sam • Why run the client scenario again, just to resend the request? • Simply click “Replay” • Reissue a single request • Reissue a set of requests • Reissue unconditionally (no cache headers) • Reissue multiple times

22. Changing Requests with Composer • Create any request from scratch • Use previous requests with drag-n-drop • Use Scratchpad to store common requests www.bobthebuilder.com

23. Breakpoints – Human in the Middle • Manual control over request & response • Stop on any direction • Manipulate headers and body • Use built-in responses or file

24. Debugging Localhost • In some cases, proxies are bypassed when using localhost (127.0.0.1) addresses • What to do? • Use the machine’s name • Use fictitious DNS names • localhost. or localhost.fiddler(converted to localhost) • ipv4.fiddler or ipv6.fiddler (converted to 127.0.0.1 / [::1])

25. Debugging Services • Fiddler hooks to the interactive user • IIS App Pools and Windows Services runs using built-in users • Use network sniffers and export as PCAP • Download PsExec and run: PsExec.exe -i -u "nt authority\network service" "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Fiddler2\Fiddler.exe"

26. If You See This, Don’t Panic When Fiddler crashes proxy setting are still in effect Before rebooting your machinetry running Fiddler again

27. Scenario: Testing

28. “My Code is Perfect” • Save traffic to file • Save sessions as .SAZ (Zip) archive • .SAZ stores content and session info • Other archiving options: • HTTP Archive (HAR) • Visual Studio Web Test

29. Auto-Responder - an In-Memory Website • If URI matches… then respond with… • Respond with file/redirection/breakpoint/drop • Not only that, you can also: • Import sessions as responses • Edit stored responses • Use original latency time (updatable) • Export and import rules

30. Fiddler is More Than a Sniffer • Monitors traffic, yes, but also… • Controls traffic • Modifies traffic • Generates traffic • Easy to use • Extensible Enhance your web debugging with Fiddler today!

31. Resources Fiddler Website http://www.telerik.com/fiddler Fiddler Forum http://groups.google.com/group/httpfiddler Fiddler Blog http://www.telerik.com/automated-testing-tools/blog/eric-lawrence.aspxhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/fiddler (older blog) My Info This Presentation http://bit.ly/flatowblog@IdoFlatow idof@sela.co.il http://1drv.ms/1kuiuGh

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