Proxee

Product Introduction

1. Definition: Proxee is a native macOS menu bar application that functions as a dedicated, real-time mobile UI preview monitor for local web development. It operates as a transparent HTTP-layer proxy, bridging a local development server on a Mac to an iPhone over a local network.
2. Core Value Proposition: Proxee solves the persistent challenge of accurately testing and interacting with mobile web interfaces during development, eliminating the inaccuracies of browser emulators and the friction of traditional remote debugging tools. Its primary purpose is to enable developers to catch and fix mobile-specific UI bugs with zero configuration, using a physical iPhone as a live preview screen.

Main Features

1. QR Code Trusted Device Pairing & Zero-Code Setup: Proxee establishes a secure, automatic connection between a Mac and an iPhone without requiring manual IP entry or network configuration. The workflow is: Point the native macOS app to your local dev server port (e.g., localhost:3000), a unique pairing QR code is generated, and the iPhone scans it to initiate a trusted device handshake. Once approved, the connection is remembered and will automatically reconnect in future sessions, providing a seamless "just works" experience.
2. Bidirectional Live Sync & Navigation: The tool provides deterministic synchronization of the development state between the paired devices. This includes automatic page reloads triggered by code changes (live reload), synchronized browser navigation (back/forward, URL bar input), scroll position mirroring (both main viewport and in-page element scroll), and automatic synchronization of light/dark theme preferences. This keeps both displays pointed at the identical view and context during the build process.
3. SSR-Safe Proxy with Auth Flow Support: Proxee operates at the HTTP proxy level, intelligently rewriting URLs in the page's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript responses to redirect them from localhost to the Proxee proxy address (proxee.local:PORT). This critical feature makes it fully compatible with server-side rendering (SSR) frameworks like Next.js, Nuxt, and Astro. Furthermore, it is designed to handle complex authentication flows, including browser-owned OAuth redirects, by correctly proxying callback URLs across devices.
4. Native iOS Companion App & Screen Awake: For extended development sessions, a free native iOS companion app enhances the workflow by preventing the iPhone screen from sleeping, remembering the Proxee session for quick re-pairing, and providing a more integrated feel than using a standard browser. It ensures the preview device remains active and ready as a dedicated monitor while the developer codes.

Problems Solved

1. Pain Point: Web developers consistently encounter mobile-specific layout bugs, touch interaction issues, and responsive design breakage that are not visible or accurately replicated in desktop browser emulators (like Chrome DevTools) or desktop-based live-reload tools (like BrowserSync). These tools often fail to emulate real device hardware quirks, viewport behavior, and network conditions.
2. Target Audience: Primary users are frontend and full-stack web developers, UI/UX designers, and QA engineers building modern web applications. Specific personas include React, Vue, and Svelte developers using frameworks like Next.js or Vite, as well as developers working with plain JavaScript who need reliable mobile testing without emulating an entire device OS.
3. Use Cases: Essential for verifying responsive grid layouts on a real device screen, testing touch gestures and mobile-first interactions, debugging OAuth/OIDC login flows that require redirecting to a phone browser, ensuring color accuracy and theme switching work on actual hardware, and conducting live design reviews with stakeholders using a physical device.

Unique Advantages

1. Differentiation: Unlike browser-based emulators or remote debugging protocols (like Chrome's devtools://inspect), Proxee provides a persistent, live preview on a real device without interrupting the developer's desktop workflow. Unlike services like BrowserSync or general-purpose proxies, it offers a dedicated, polished, and secure pairing protocol with automatic reconnection and synchronization logic built specifically for the Mac-iPhone workflow, eliminating script injection into project files. It is 100% local, with no cloud relay servers.
2. Key Innovation: The core technical innovation is the combination of a native macOS proxy engine with a client-side script injection strategy that transparently handles SSR URL rewriting and maintains a persistent WebSocket-like connection for real-time sync. This allows it to be framework-agnostic and "just work" with any dev server outputting standard HTML, while providing the robust pairing and synchronization features of a dedicated application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How does Proxee differ from BrowserSync or simple proxy tools? Proxee is a native, paired-device application focused on providing a seamless, persistent preview on a real iPhone. It adds critical features like QR-code pairing, trusted device memory, automatic screen-awake via the iOS companion, and sophisticated SSR-safe URL proxying that simple tools lack. BrowserSync requires script tags in your HTML, while Proxee operates at the network proxy layer without project changes.
2. Is Proxee safe to use for development, and does it expose my local server? Proxee is designed for local network use. When activated, it creates a proxy service accessible on your LAN. It requires explicit pairing approval before any client (like your iPhone) can connect, blocking unpaired access. It is not a public tunnel; you should use it on trusted networks (like your home Wi-Fi) or a personal hotspot for sensitive work, similar to how you would use any local dev server.
3. Does Proxee work with OAuth, login sessions, and authentication flows? Yes, Proxee is specifically built to support authentication. It correctly proxies OAuth callback URLs and maintains session cookies across the paired devices. You may need to whitelist the Proxee callback URL (https://proxee.local:PORT/...) with your OAuth provider, but the login and redirect flow will work seamlessly between your Mac's browser and your iPhone.
4. What kind of synchronization does Proxee offer? Is it like a remote control? Proxee provides deterministic, not full state, synchronization. It reliably syncs navigation, scroll position (both main and in-page elements), page reloads, and light/dark theme. It does not mirror interactive UI state like opened dropdowns, accordion contents, or input field text from one device to the other. Its purpose is to keep both screens viewing the same page context, not to act as a full remote control.