Master User Guide & FAQs
Essential tips, keyboard shortcuts, performance optimizations, and troubleshooting FAQs for Hexbuffer.
Master User Guide & FAQs
Welcome to the comprehensive Hexbuffer User Guide. This reference manual is designed to help you maximize efficiency, streamline your application testing workflows, and get the best experience from the Hexbuffer platform.
Workspace Productivity Tips
1. Master Keyboard Shortcuts
Speed up your daily workflow with built-in desktop shortcuts:
| Shortcut (macOS / Win) | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd + S / Ctrl + S | Save the active request in Repeater |
Cmd + F / Ctrl + F | Search within editors and payload views |
Cmd + A / Ctrl + A | Select all content inside the Notes editor |
2. Streamlining Workspace Layouts
Hexbuffer supports flexible multi-panel layouts:
- Sub-Windows: Open tools in separate windows to work across multiple monitors.
- Maximized Inspector Mode: Expand the message inspector to full-width or maximized mode when analyzing large payloads.
- Modular Desktop Dashboard: Arrange target, proxy, VPN, clipboard, and scratchpad widgets according to your daily priorities.
- Shortcut Manager: Use the desktop Shortcut Manager to see every tool and widget at a glance.
Performance & Hygiene Best Practices
Optimizing Traffic Diagnostics
- Target Scope Hygiene: Always define your domain target scope (e.g.,
*.myapp.dev) before starting extensive capture sessions. This filters out background operating system updates and third-party browser noise. - Session Storage Modes: Use persistent sessions for long-running audits and ephemeral sessions for throwaway captures so history stays lean.
- Chunked Pagination: Very large sessions load 60 items per page; rely on scope filters and search to locate requests quickly, and use pagination to page through the full history.
- Storage Management: Check database and log sizes in Settings → General and truncate or wipe data when disk usage grows.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Why is HTTPS traffic showing certificate warning errors in my browser?
Answer: You need to install Hexbuffer's Root CA Certificate into your operating system or browser's trusted certificate authority store. Go to Settings → CA Certificate, download the certificate or use the one-click macOS Keychain install, and restart your browser.
Q2: How do I export my capture data to share with teammates?
Answer: Select requests in the Live Traffic grid and use the export actions (such as Copy as cURL) from the context menu. Notes can be exported as markdown files from the Saved Notes manager.
Q3: Can I run Hexbuffer completely offline without an internet connection?
Answer: Yes! Hexbuffer is a native desktop application. All core proxy diagnostics, interception, repeater replaying, fuzzing, mocking, and port scanning run 100% locally on your machine.
Q4: How do I test my frontend against an API that isn't built yet?
Answer: Use the API Mock server to define routes with templated responses, latency, and error injection, then point your frontend at the local mock endpoint. To alter responses from a real backend instead, use API Override rules.
Need Further Assistance?
If you encounter unexpected behavior or have feature requests:
- Submit an issue on the official GitHub repository.
- Check the in-app Settings documentation tabs for proxy, certificate, and storage configuration details.