User Guide
Detailed feature usage for mappings, requests, mocks, capture, and health checks.
User Guide
This guide covers the everyday Bifurc surfaces and how they fit together in practice.
Mappings
Use mappings to bind friendly *.localhost domains to local services.
Typical flow
- Open Mappings
- Add a domain such as
api.localhost - Set the target host and port
- Enable the mapping
- Route traffic through Bifurc and browse against the new hostname
Mappings work best together with:
- Services for quick discovery
- Capture for visibility
- Proxy Rules for more advanced rewrites
Mocks
Bifurc supports multiple mock workflows.
REST mocks
- match on method and URL
- respond with status, headers, and body
- support delays, binary payloads, and streaming patterns
GraphQL mocks
- match on endpoint
- filter by operation type
- optionally target a specific operation name
SOAP mocks
- match on endpoint pattern
- match on SOAPAction
- optionally match the SOAP operation in the request body
gRPC mocks
- run through the Bifurc gRPC mock server
- match by service and method
- support unary and streaming-oriented workflows
Requests
Use the request panels to create stable, reusable API definitions.
REST requests
- import cURL
- send JSON, XML, text, multipart, or binary payloads
- run pre-request and post-response scripts
GraphQL requests
- save endpoints, queries, variables, and headers
- introspect schemas
- generate starter operations
SOAP requests
- fetch WSDLs
- choose operations from the explorer
- generate SOAP envelopes with namespace scaffolding
gRPC requests
- import proto files
- discover methods with server reflection
- invoke unary and streaming methods from one workspace
Capture
The capture surface is the fastest way to understand live system behavior.
Use it to:
- inspect requests and responses
- confirm whether traffic was mocked, proxied, or mapped
- create a mock from a captured exchange
- create a request from real traffic
Capture is especially useful immediately after configuring:
- a browser proxy
- the Bifurc extension
- TLS interception
- a new mapping or rule
WebSockets and webhooks
WebSockets
Use the WebSockets panel for real-time connections that should be tested interactively. Save connection definitions, connect, send payloads, and inspect incoming messages.
Webhooks
Use the Webhooks panel to create receive-only localhost endpoints for third-party callbacks. Keep the webhook server running, open the relevant tab, and inspect incoming payloads live.
Environments and variables
Use environments to keep request and mock definitions reusable across machines and stages.
You can reference:
- base URLs
- API keys
- tokens
- tenant IDs
- test identities
Variable syntax uses {{VARIABLE_NAME}}, and Bifurc also provides built-in randomizer tokens for common generated values.
Health checks
Use Health Bar to monitor the endpoints you care about while developing.
Typical use cases:
- local API readiness
- mock-server reachability
- webhook endpoint validation
- staging or shared environment pings
Workspace history and sync
Use publish and sync when your Bifurc configuration itself becomes part of the project workflow.
You can:
- publish changes to the workspace repo
- inspect entity history
- review diffs
- restore earlier versions
- push and pull from a shared remote
Browser extension workflows
The extension is ideal when browser traffic is your primary source of truth.
Use it to:
- toggle proxy routing quickly
- inspect traffic in DevTools
- save requests to Bifurc
- create mocks from actual browser exchanges
- batch-capture flows into folders
See browser-extension.md and workflows.md for the full operational guides.