Show HN: API Parrot – Automatically Reverse Engineer HTTP APIs (apiparrot.com)

Article summary

API Parrot is a tool designed to reverse engineer HTTP APIs of any website, allowing developers to automate, integrate, or scrape websites without public APIs. The tool records network traffic, identifies relevant endpoints, and analyzes data to understand relationships between different endpoints. It also allows for customization and export of functions as JavaScript code. The tool is currently available for Windows and Linux, with a macOS version now available.

Main themes

• API reverse engineering
• Web scraping
• Automation
• Cross-platform support
• Development tools

What commenters say

• The tool needs refinement and a macOS version to be fully useful.
• Some users are experiencing issues with the tool, such as the inability to launch Chrome, which the developer is working to resolve.
• The decision to develop on macOS for server development targeting Linux may cause long-term harm to the development community due to unnecessary abstraction.
• Others argue that developing on macOS and deploying to Linux is a common and viable practice that does not cause significant issues.
• The use of macOS for development is defended due to its excellent hardware, reliability, and day-to-day performance.
• Some users have had negative experiences with certain MacBook models, but others have found them to be robust and reliable.
• The tool's closed-source nature and potential future cost for a 'pro' version are concerns for some users.
• The developer's plan to release a macOS version and provide ongoing support is seen as a positive step by some users.