Smee.io Alternative

Smee.io Alternative for Webhook Proxying

Production-ready webhook proxy with retries, monitoring, and a full CLI.

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What is Smee.io?

Smee.io is a lightweight webhook proxy created by GitHub. It receives webhook payloads and forwards them to your local development server using Server-Sent Events (SSE). It is commonly used for GitHub App and webhook development.

Why developers look for Smee.io alternatives

  • Designed only for development, not production use
  • No webhook payload inspection or search
  • No automatic retries for failed deliveries
  • No production monitoring or alerting
  • Minimal CLI with limited features
  • No request history or persistent storage

HookWatch vs Smee.io

FeatureHookWatchSmee.io
Production readyYes, built for productionDevelopment only
Payload inspectionFull UI + searchRaw event stream
Webhook retriesAutomatic with backoffNot available
Request historyPersistent storageNo storage
CLI featuresFull TUI + multi-endpointBasic forwarding
MonitoringSlack, Discord, Email, TelegramNot available
Team featuresBuilt-in collaborationNot available
Webhook signaturesSignature validationPass-through only

When to use HookWatch instead of Smee.io

✓ You need webhook proxying that works in production
✓ You want payload inspection and search capabilities
✓ You need automatic retries for failed deliveries
✓ You want persistent webhook history across sessions
✓ You need multi-channel alerting for failures
✓ You want a full-featured CLI beyond basic forwarding

Real webhook debugging example

Here is what a typical Stripe webhook looks like in HookWatch. Every header, payload, and timestamp is captured and searchable.

Headers

content-type: application/json
stripe-signature: t=1695312000,v1=5257a86...
user-agent: Stripe/1.0

Payload

{
  "event": "payment.succeeded",
  "data": {
    "id": "evt_1NqX5L2eZvKY",
    "amount": 5000,
    "currency": "usd",
    "customer": "cus_9s6XKzkNRiz"
  },
  "created": 1695312000
}
Status: 200 OK
Method: POST
Received: 2024-09-21 16:00:00 UTC
Size: 182 bytes

How to switch from Smee.io to HookWatch

1 Sign up for a free HookWatch account
2 Create a webhook endpoint in the dashboard
3 Replace your Smee.io URL in webhook providers
4 Install the HookWatch CLI for local forwarding

Frequently asked questions

Is HookWatch better than Smee.io?

For anything beyond basic development proxying, yes. Smee.io is a minimal tool for forwarding webhooks to localhost. HookWatch provides the same forwarding plus payload inspection, retries, production monitoring, and persistent history.

Can HookWatch replace Smee.io for GitHub webhooks?

Yes. HookWatch can receive GitHub webhooks, inspect payloads, and forward them to your local server just like Smee.io. Plus you get retry logic, monitoring, and a richer CLI experience.

Is Smee.io free?

Smee.io is free and open source but limited to development use. HookWatch also has a free tier, but with production-ready features like retries, monitoring, and persistent storage included.

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