Stetho
A debug bridge that lets you inspect an Android app's network, views and data from Chrome DevTools.
- Stars
- 12.6k
- Forks
- 1.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Java
- Last update
- 2.0 years ago
- Type
- Library
This repository is archived and no longer maintained.
What it is
Stetho is a library you add to an Android app during development. Once it is enabled and the app is running, you can open chrome://inspect in the Chrome desktop browser and use Chrome Developer Tools to look inside the app. The README also mentions an optional dumpapp command-line tool for inspecting app internals. The project is archived, so it is no longer actively maintained.
- Inspect HTTP requests and responses from an app using the stetho-okhttp3 interceptor
- Open Chrome DevTools on a running Android app after adding Stetho.initializeWithDefaults(this)
- Add custom dumpapp plugins to expose app internals on the command line
- Run a JavaScript console inside the app with stetho-js-rhino
Great for
- Android developers who want to watch network requests made by their app in Chrome DevTools
- Developers debugging app data or internal state while the app runs on a device or emulator
- Teams with existing Android apps using OkHttp 3.x or HttpURLConnection who want network inspection
- Developers who want a JavaScript console inside a running app via the stetho-js-rhino module
Not ideal for
- Teams starting a new project, since the repository is archived and no longer maintained
- Production apps, since Stetho is a debugging aid and the README does not describe it for release builds
- Developers not working in Android, since the project targets Android applications
- Users who need an up-to-date integration with newer OkHttp versions, since the README covers OkHttp 3.x and 2.x only
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Android project using Gradle or Maven · Google Chrome desktop browser
Add the core dependency (Gradle)
implementation 'com.facebook.stetho:stetho:1.6.0'Add the OkHttp 3 network helper (Gradle)
implementation 'com.facebook.stetho:stetho-okhttp3:1.6.0' - 2
Run it
- Add the stetho dependency to your Android project.
- In your Application class, call Stetho.initializeWithDefaults(this) inside onCreate after super.onCreate().
- Register your Application class in AndroidManifest.xml using android:name.
- Start the app and open chrome://inspect in Chrome on your laptop.
- Click the Inspect button for your app.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Add the stetho-okhttp3 interceptor as the last interceptor so network traffic is shown accurately.
- Use the stetho-js-rhino artifact to get a JavaScript console inside the app.
- Write a custom dumpapp plugin through Stetho.initialize with newInitializerBuilder to expose app-specific data.
- Check the stetho-sample project for working examples of the integration.
Downloads
Strengths
- Uses the familiar Chrome DevTools interface instead of a new debugging tool
- Setup in the README is short: one initialization call in the Application class and a dependency
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Trade-offs
- The repository is archived, so it may not keep up with newer Android or OkHttp versions
- Network inspection needs extra setup, and HttpURLConnection requires manual handling of gzip responses to report sizes correctly
- The README is brief and points to the sample project for details
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stetho (this) | 12.6k | Library | intermediate | 2.0 years ago | Android developers who want to watch network requests made by their app in Chrome DevTools |
| flipper | 13.4k | Dev tool | intermediate | 11 days ago | Mobile developers who want a log viewer, layout inspector and network inspector in one place |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.