Map Local

Map Local lets you serve a local file — or an asset fetched from a remote URL — in place of a remote resource, without changing your server or application code.

How It Works

When a request matches a Map Local rule, WePROXA intercepts it and responds with the contents of a local file instead of forwarding the request to the remote server. The request never reaches the origin — the response is served entirely from disk.

If the local file is not found, the request falls through and is forwarded to the origin server as normal.

Creating a Map Local Rule

1. Open the Map Local tool from the toolbar

2. Click Add Rule

3. Fill in the rule details:

   • Name — a descriptive label for the rule
   • URL Pattern — a glob pattern to match URLs (e.g., https://api.example.com/v1/*)
   • Method — optionally restrict to a specific HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, etc.), or leave as “Any” to match all methods

4. Choose the Response Source — a local file or a remote URL (see Response Source):

   • Local file — Browse to select an existing file, Create File to save the current editor content as a new mock file, or let WePROXA create a managed mock file automatically when you add a new rule
   • Remote URL — enter an HTTP(S) URL and WePROXA fetches that asset on demand

5. Enable the rule

   

Tip

You can also create a Map Local rule by right-clicking a request in the request list and selecting Map Local. The URL pattern, HTTP method, status, headers, and response content are pre-filled from the selected request. WePROXA creates an editable mock response file for you so you can save the rule immediately or adjust the payload first.

Managing Rules

• Toggle individual rules on or off using the toggle switch next to each rule
• Toggle all rules at once using the global enable/disable button
• Sort rules by name, creation date, or last updated date
• Edit or delete rules at any time
• Duplicate a rule to create an independent copy of its pattern and response content
• Export and import rule files when you need to share mocks with a team

Note

Free accounts are limited to 5 Map Local rules. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited rules.

Duplicating Rules

Duplicating a Map Local rule copies its current response content into a new WePROXA-managed file. The original and duplicate can then be edited or deleted independently without changing the other rule’s response.

When you remove a rule, WePROXA deletes only response files it manages. Files you selected with Browse remain on your computer even after the rule is removed.

Exporting & Importing Rules

Note

Export & Import is a Pro feature. Free users will see a prompt to upgrade when clicking export or import.

You can export and import Map Local rules to share configurations across devices or with your team.

• Export — click the download icon on any rule card to save it as a .weproxa-map-local.json file. The export includes the rule settings (name, URL pattern, method) and the full response file content.
• Import — click the Import button in the toolbar to load a previously exported rule file. WePROXA recreates the rule and its mock file automatically.

Exports are limited to 32 MB of file content, and imported files can be up to 48 MB.

This is useful for:

• Sharing API mocks with teammates
• Backing up your rules before switching machines
• Distributing pre-configured mock setups for a project

Response Source

Each Map Local rule serves its response from one of two sources:

• Local file — serve JSON, text, images, video, or audio from a file on disk. WePROXA watches the file, so external edits are picked up immediately, and this source works offline. This is the default.
• Remote URL — point the rule at an HTTP or HTTPS URL. WePROXA fetches that asset on demand the first time a matching request arrives; the response is not saved to disk, and a bounded in-memory cache keeps repeat matches fast. This is handy for swapping in a replacement image, script, or bundle hosted elsewhere without downloading it first.

When you pick Remote URL, WePROXA validates the address inline and only accepts a well-formed http:// or https:// URL.

Pattern Matching

Map Local rules support flexible URL matching with glob patterns:

• Exact URLs — https://api.example.com/data.json
• Glob patterns — https://api.example.com/v1/*
• Host-only — *api.example.com* to match all requests to a specific domain

As you type a URL Pattern, WePROXA validates the glob live and shows whether it’s valid. The same check runs across all rule panels — Map Local, Block List, Breakpoints, Network Conditioning, and Scripting — and patterns can’t contain spaces.

Response File Format

The local file can be a plain file or a full HTTP response with custom status code and headers.

Plain File

If the file contains just the response body, WePROXA serves it with a 200 status code and a default Content-Type of application/octet-stream:

{ "message": "Hello from local file" }

HTTP Response Format

To control the status code and headers, write the file in HTTP response format:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
X-Custom-Header: my-value

{ "message": "Hello with custom headers" }

The status line (HTTP/1.1 NNN) and headers are parsed automatically. Everything after the blank line is the response body.

This lets you simulate error responses, redirects, or custom headers without any server changes:

HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable
Content-Type: application/json
Retry-After: 30

{ "error": "Service temporarily unavailable" }

The editor supports autocompletion for HTTP headers — just start typing a header name and press Ctrl+Space to see suggestions based on common headers and the headers from the original response.

Editing Response Files

The Map Local panel includes a built-in Monaco editor with syntax highlighting for editing your response files directly. The editor auto-detects the language (JSON, HTML, etc.) from the file content.

Press Cmd+S (macOS) or Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) to save changes to the file. The save button and inline saved indicator confirm when the file has been written.

When the response body is JSON, the editor validates it as you type. A subtle Valid JSON indicator confirms well-formed content, and a malformed body shows an inline Invalid JSON message with the parser error and a Line n, Col n link that jumps straight to the problem.

If you open Map Local in a detached window, the title bar includes Import and Add Mapping actions so you can manage mocks without returning to the main window.

File Watching

WePROXA automatically watches your local files for changes. When you edit a mapped file in an external editor, the updated content is picked up immediately — no need to restart or reload rules.

Use Cases

• Frontend development — serve local JS/CSS while using a production API
• API mocking — return local JSON files with custom status codes and headers
• Testing — simulate error responses (404, 500, 503) without changing server code
• Offline development — work without network access by serving cached responses