Compare toran
Developers usually reach for one of a few patterns when they need to understand third-party API behavior: a desktop interception proxy, a request capture endpoint, a DIY proxy layer, or an observability stack. This page maps those options and links to deeper comparisons.
Not sure where to start? See a one-page decision guide →
toran is a read-only outbound API inspector
Swap in a toran URL to see real requests and responses as they happen - from servers, CI, containers, and AI agents. No SDKs, no certificates, no infrastructure.
Desktop debugging proxies
Common for local, interactive debugging on a developer machine. Typically requires installation and trusting a local certificate.
toran vs Charles Proxy
The classic desktop HTTP proxy (macOS/Windows). Great for local inspection; requires local setup and certificate installation.
toran vs Proxyman
Modern macOS proxy with a native UI. Similar workflow to Charles with less friction for Mac developers.
toran vs mitmproxy
Open-source CLI interception proxy. Powerful scripting, but still local install + certificate setup.
toran vs Fiddler
A long-standing desktop debugging proxy, especially common on Windows. Similar workflow: local proxy + certificate setup.
Tunneling & local exposure
Tools for exposing local development servers to the internet. Useful for receiving webhooks or sharing work, but focused on inbound traffic.
Request capture & viewers
Used to inspect a single request or webhook payload. Helpful for debugging integrations, but usually not representative of real outbound requests from your app or agent.
toran vs RequestBin
Capture inbound HTTP requests to a temporary endpoint. Useful for webhooks, not for observing outbound calls.
toran vs Webhook.site
Lightweight request capture endpoint for debugging webhooks and callbacks.
toran vs Beeceptor
Request inspection plus mocking. Often used as a quick stand-in endpoint during development.
toran vs Hookdeck
Webhook infrastructure with ingestion, retries, and queuing. Built for reliable inbound webhook handling at scale.
Manual API clients
Used to reproduce and explore APIs with handcrafted requests. Great for debugging and testing, but not a way to observe what your application or agent actually sent on the wire.
toran vs Postman
Popular API client for manual testing and collaboration. Useful for reproductions, not for live requests inspection.
toran vs Insomnia
Lightweight API client focused on manual request workflows. Great for testing and reproductions.
toran vs curl
Command-line HTTP client used to reproduce requests quickly and script test cases.
API gateways & management
Platforms for managing, securing, and monetizing APIs you expose to others. Focused on inbound API traffic and governance.
toran vs Kong
Open-source API gateway with plugins for auth, rate limiting, and more. Manages APIs you serve, not APIs you consume.
toran vs Apigee
Google Cloud's enterprise API management platform. Full lifecycle management for APIs you expose.
toran vs Zuplo
Developer-friendly API gateway with edge deployment. Adds policies to APIs you serve.
toran vs AWS API Gateway
Managed API gateway for building and operating APIs on AWS. Powerful, but not designed for observing outbound calls.
DIY proxies & infrastructure
Teams sometimes build a forward proxy or logging layer using edge/server infrastructure. Flexible, but adds engineering, operational, and security overhead.
toran vs Cloudflare Workers (DIY proxy)
A common DIY approach: write a Worker to forward requests and log requests. Powerful, but you own the implementation and maintenance.
toran vs Nginx / Envoy logging
Add logging at a reverse/forward proxy. Effective but configuration-heavy and easy to misconfigure for sensitive data.
Observability & APM
Metrics, traces, and alerts help with ongoing reliability, but they are not a substitute for wire-level inspection of exact HTTP requests/responses.
toran vs Datadog APM
Great for service-level metrics and tracing. Typically requires agents/SDKs and focuses on alerts and dashboards.
toran vs OpenTelemetry
Instrumentation standard for traces/metrics/logs. Powerful, but requires integration work and does not show exact on-the-wire HTTP without additional logging.
toran vs New Relic
Service-level observability and APM with agents/SDKs, dashboards, and alerts. Complements toran for ongoing monitoring.
These comparisons are intentionally high-level and updated as tools evolve.