Charles vs WebScarab

Struggling to choose between Charles and WebScarab? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Charles is a Development solution with tags like proxy, http, https, monitor, reverse-proxy.

It boasts features such as HTTP proxy, HTTP monitor, Reverse proxy, View HTTP/HTTPS traffic, View requests, View responses, View HTTP headers, View cookies, View caching information and pros including Debug HTTP/HTTPS connections, Inspect traffic between machine and internet, Identify performance issues, Troubleshoot network requests.

On the other hand, WebScarab is a Security & Privacy product tagged with interception, analysis, vulnerability-testing, web-security.

Its standout features include Intercepts HTTP and HTTPS traffic, Analyzes requests/responses for security issues, Tests for vulnerabilities like XSS, SQLi, etc, Has proxy functionality to view and modify traffic, Can manipulate requests to test apps, Passive and active scanning modes, Session tracking and analysis, Spidering to crawl web apps, Extensible via plugins, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Powerful proxy functionality, Can detect many vulnerabilities, Extensible and customizable, Actively maintained, Cross-platform.

Feature	Charles	WebScarab
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

Charles

Description: Charles is an HTTP proxy / HTTP monitor / Reverse Proxy that enables a developer to view all of the HTTP and SSL / HTTPS traffic between their machine and the Internet. This includes requests, responses and the HTTP headers (which contain the cookies and caching information).

WebScarab

Description: WebScarab is an open source web application security testing tool that allows users to intercept HTTP and HTTPS requests and responses and analyze them for security vulnerabilities. It can be used to test web apps for issues like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and more.

Key Features Comparison

Charles Features

• HTTP proxy
• HTTP monitor
• Reverse proxy
• View HTTP/HTTPS traffic
• View requests
• View responses
• View HTTP headers
• View cookies
• View caching information

WebScarab Features

• Intercepts HTTP and HTTPS traffic
• Analyzes requests/responses for security issues
• Tests for vulnerabilities like XSS, SQLi, etc
• Has proxy functionality to view and modify traffic
• Can manipulate requests to test apps
• Passive and active scanning modes
• Session tracking and analysis
• Spidering to crawl web apps
• Extensible via plugins

Pros & Cons Analysis

Charles

Pros

• Debug HTTP/HTTPS connections
• Inspect traffic between machine and internet
• Identify performance issues
• Troubleshoot network requests

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Manual configuration required
• Extra overhead for all HTTP traffic
• Potential privacy concerns

WebScarab

Pros

• Free and open source
• Powerful proxy functionality
• Can detect many vulnerabilities
• Extensible and customizable
• Actively maintained
• Cross-platform

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Setup can be complex
• Not as user-friendly as commercial tools
• Limited reporting capabilities
• Can be resource intensive

Pricing Comparison

Charles

• Free
• Open Source

WebScarab

• Open Source