cauli.works

What It Is

Cauli is a network debugging framework for iOS/Swift apps. Its core capability is hooking into Apple’s URL Loading System to intercept, record, and display selected requests and responses. It is not an external proxy packet-capture tool, but a development framework integrated inside the app, making it suitable for development, testing, and issue reproduction.

Core Features and Ecosystem

Cauli uses a plugin architecture, with plugins called Florets. Built-in capabilities include InspectorFloret, which lets you browse, share, and filter request logs by URL inside the app; MockFloret, which can record responses and reuse them for later mocking, useful for unit tests or bug reproduction; NoCacheFloret, which prevents caching from affecting results; FindReplaceFloret, which can replace request or response content; and MapRemoteFloret, which can rewrite URLs before requests are executed, making it easier to switch between test or staging servers. Developers can also implement InterceptingFloret to handle requests/responses, or DisplayingFloret to provide a custom UI.

Language, Installation, and Limitations

The documentation indicates that Cauli is installed via Swift Package Manager, used with import Cauliframework, and started by calling Cauli.shared.run() in AppDelegate. It must be started before URLSession is created. Support mainly covers URLSession.default and URLSession instances initialized with the default configuration, as well as some legacy URL Loading Systems such as NSURLConnection and UIWebView. An important limitation is that WKWebView and SFSafariViewController are not supported because they run outside the app process, and Cauli does not use private APIs.

Pricing and Open Source

Cauli provides a GitHub project and uses the MIT license. The text does not mention any commercial fees, cloud service, or enterprise edition, so it can be treated as a free and open-source SDK. It is essentially an in-app dependency and does not involve SaaS self-hosting. If a team needs long-term maintenance guarantees or commercial support, the documentation does not appear to provide related information.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

Its advantages are a clear integration approach, an extensible plugin model, documentation covering Getting Started, FAQ, API Reference, and custom plugin instructions, plus an explicit commitment to staying private API free. The drawbacks are that official guidance does not recommend using it in production, its interception scope is limited, and it cannot replace system-level proxy tools such as Charles or Proxyman. It is best suited to iOS developers, mobile QA engineers, and teams that need to quickly inspect requests inside an app, mock network responses, and switch environments.

Access from China

The captured text does not provide information about access from mainland China, mirrors, payment methods, or similar details. GitHub and Swift Package Manager dependencies may be affected by domestic network conditions, so real-world availability should be tested. Alternatives include Proxyman, Charles Proxy, mitmproxy, OHHTTPStubs, or an in-house debugging layer based on URLProtocol.