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I'm working on a multilayer Android app where I have to intercept HTTP requests, modify one of the headers, execute and return responses. I can't change a way of creating requests, but I can change the API base URL used for requests. The approach I chose was writing a proxy listening on a specific port and doing a man-in-the-middle job:

  1. taking requests,
  2. applying required changes to HTTP requests,
  3. executing it and
  4. returning response.

I applied SparkJava as an HTTP server and OkHttpClient as an HTTP client. It worked like a charm until I found it works only on Android 8 and newer. There is a problem with missing ThreadLocal<S> ThreadLocal.withInitial (Supplier<? extends S> supplier) in API prior to 26 that SparkJava's backend - Jetty, uses).

I guess I will try to look for other HTTP server framework working fine in older API and reimplement my proxy.

In the meantime, does this approach seem to be ok? Or maybe there is another way of proxying HTTP requests in Android app that would allow modifying headers having only an option of changing base API URL?

All ideas much appreciated.

PS. I know that in a typical app this kind of proxying would make a security issue, but this is not a concern in this case.

Greg Rynkowski
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  • How were you planning on securing this, so that other apps on the device do not use your HTTP proxy for their own purposes? BTW, asking for off-site resources ("recommend me an HTTP server") is considered to be off-topic for Stack Overflow. – CommonsWare May 17 '18 at 16:42
  • I understand your security concern but this is a prototype it is not going to be shipped. Regarding off-site resources, apologies. – Greg Rynkowski May 17 '18 at 16:56
  • have a look at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6329468/how-to-create-a-http-server-in-android (might help) – petey May 17 '18 at 17:25

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