DevLens

Debug any mobile app - logs, network, storage. No SDK required.

🔒 Privacy First: All data stays on your machine. We don't collect or store anything.

npx devlens

Why DevLens?

To see logs from your physical Android/iOS device, you normally need to:

• Android: Open Android Studio → Connect device → Open Logcat
• iOS: Open Xcode → Connect device → Open Console

That's a 2-3 GB IDE (or 15+ GB for Xcode) just to see logs!

With DevLens: USB connect → npx devlens → See logs in browser. That's it.

| Without DevLens | With DevLens | |-----------------|--------------| | Open Android Studio / Xcode | Just npx devlens | | 2-15 GB IDE install | No IDE needed | | Wait 2-5 min for IDE to load | Ready in 5 seconds | | Need project/source code | Works with any installed app |

Use cases:

• 🔧 Quick debugging - Don't want to open heavy IDE just for logs
• 🧪 QA testing - Test debug builds without any IDE knowledge
• 📱 Client's phone - Plug their device, see logs, fix issue
• ⚡ React Native / Flutter - See native logs alongside JS logs

Features

| Feature | Android | iOS | | ---------------------- | ------- | --- | | Device Detection | ✅ | ✅ | | App List | ✅ | ✅ | | Real-time Logs | ✅ | ✅ | | Network Capture | ✅ | ❌ | | Storage (debug builds) | ✅ | ✅ |

Installation

# Run directly with npx (no install needed)
npx devlens

# Or install globally
npm install -g devlens
devlens

Requirements

Android

• USB Debugging enabled on device
• ADB installed (brew install android-platform-tools on macOS)

iOS

• Device connected via USB
• libimobiledevice installed (brew install libimobiledevice on macOS)

Usage

1. Start DevLens

npx devlens

This will:

• Detect connected devices
• Start dashboard on port 3000
• Open browser automatically

2. Connect Your Device

Android:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Developer Options
2. Connect device via USB
3. Accept USB debugging prompt on device

iOS:

1. Connect device via USB
2. Trust the computer on device

3. View Logs

1. Select device from dropdown
2. Select app (optional - filters logs to that app only)
3. Logs stream in real-time

4. Capture Network Traffic (Android)

1. Click the "Network: OFF" button in the dashboard header
2. Confirm the warning prompt
3. Network requests will appear in the Network tab

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Turn OFF network capture before disconnecting USB! Otherwise your phone's internet will stop working.

If you forgot to turn it off:

• Reconnect USB and turn it OFF from dashboard, OR
• On phone: WiFi Settings → Your network → Proxy → None

5. View Storage

1. Select device and app
2. Go to Storage tab
3. Click "Load Storage"

Note: Storage access only works for debuggable apps (debug builds)

CLI Options

devlens [options]

Options:
  -V, --version        output the version number
  -p, --port <port>    Dashboard port (default: "3000")
  --proxy-port <port>  Proxy port (default: "8080")
  --no-open            Do not open browser automatically
  -h, --help           display help for command

Architecture

Phone (Any App)
      │
      ├── USB ──► ADB/libimobiledevice ──► Logs
      │
      └── System Proxy ──► DevLens Proxy ──► Network Requests
                              │
                              ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │  Local Server   │
                    │  (port 3000)    │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
                             ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │   Dashboard     │
                    │   (Browser)     │
                    └─────────────────┘

Limitations

Logs

• Android: Works for all apps
• iOS: Limited to system logs, app-specific logs may not be visible

Network

• HTTP requests: Full visibility (headers, body, response)
• HTTPS requests: Domain and timing only (no MITM)
• Some security-conscious apps may detect and block proxy

Storage

• Only works for debuggable apps (debug/staging builds)
• Play Store / App Store apps storage not accessible

Tech Stack

• Node.js + TypeScript
• Express + Socket.io
• ADB (Android)
• libimobiledevice (iOS)

Author

Sayed Abdul Karim

License

MIT