About Trace
Building the best iOS network debugger. On-device, privacy-first, and designed for developers who need precise visibility into their apps' network behavior.
Our mission
iOS network debugging shouldn't require desktop tools, manual configuration, or compromising on privacy. Trace brings professional-grade network inspection directly to your iPhone or iPad.
We believe debugging tools should be transparent, privacy-respecting, and powerful enough for professional use while remaining accessible to developers at all levels.
Every architectural decision, every feature, and every line of code reflects these principles. Trace is open source because transparency builds trust, and trust is essential for a tool that handles sensitive network data.
The story behind Trace
Trace started as a personal project to solve a specific problem: debugging network issues on iOS without reaching for a desktop tool or configuring proxy settings across multiple apps.
Existing solutions worked but felt cumbersome—switching between devices, trusting certificates from third-party tools, or accepting that some traffic just wouldn't be captured. The more I debugged iOS apps, the more I wanted something different.
What if network debugging happened entirely on-device? What if it integrated seamlessly with iOS instead of fighting against sandbox restrictions? What if privacy wasn't an afterthought but a core design principle?
After months of experimentation with Network Extension APIs, TLS certificate generation, and storage architecture, Trace emerged. It's not just another network proxy—it's a rethinking of what iOS network debugging can be.
Trace became open source from day one because tools that handle sensitive data deserve scrutiny. The community has shaped its development through bug reports, feature requests, and contributions. This is a tool built by developers, for developers.
Our principles
Privacy first
All traffic capture and analysis happens on-device. No telemetry, no analytics, no external servers. Your data never leaves your device. The architecture is designed to make privacy violations impossible, not just unlikely.
Open source
Complete source code is available under the MIT license. Audit the implementation, verify security claims, or fork it for your needs. Transparency builds trust, and trust is essential for debugging tools.
Performance matters
Network debugging is time-sensitive work. Trace is optimized for minimal latency, efficient memory usage, and fast UI responsiveness. Even a debugging tool needs to be fast enough that it doesn't slow down your workflow.
Community driven
Feature priorities and roadmap decisions are shaped by user feedback. Contributions are welcome—code, documentation, bug reports, and feature requests all move the project forward. This is built with the community, not just for it.
Milestones
Project launched & open sourced
Initial Trace codebase published on GitHub under MIT license. Project started with v1.0.0-testflight featuring device-wide capture, TLS MITM inspection, WebSocket/SSE support, PCAP export, and traffic modification tools.
v1.0.1 - Enhanced capture & widgets
Full-tunnel VPN capture with IPv6 support, PCAP enhancements, widget/control intents, and comprehensive test coverage. First major stability release.
v1.0.2 - Core refactoring
Fixed compression streaming (Brotli/Deflate), hardened PCAP/TCP parsing, improved VPN lifecycle, and enhanced settings UI. Added GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline.
v1.0.3 - Polish & accessibility
SOCKS5 fallback, SSE stream persistence, widget deep-linking, accessibility improvements, Swift 6 concurrency, and UI polish across network/rule views.
Advanced filtering & analysis
In development: Advanced filter engine with regex support, saved filter presets, request comparison tool, full-text search, and performance metrics visualization.
App Store release
Target: Submit to the App Store after implementing advanced filtering, performance optimizations, and gathering extensive feedback from TestFlight users.
Team
Justin Lu
Creator & Maintainer
Contributors
Trace is shaped by contributions from developers around the world. Thank you to everyone who has submitted code, reported bugs, improved documentation, or provided feedback. See the full list of contributors on GitHub.
Join the journey
Trace is built in the open with the community. Contribute code, report bugs, suggest features, or simply star the project to show your support.