Wireshark Filters: A Comprehensive Guide to Capturing HTTP Traffic

Wireshark, a powerful network protocol analyzer, offers various filters that help users capture and analyze specific types of network traffic. One of the most commonly used filters is the list of Wireshark filters for capturing HTTP traffic. In this article, we will explore how to use these filters to capture and display HTTP traffic in Wireshark.

To start, let's consider a scenario where you want to see all HTTP traffic related to a specific site, such as xxjsj.com. You can achieve this by using the following filter: `tcp.port = 80 and ip.addr = 65.208.228.223`. This filter combines two conditions: the port number must be 80 (the default port for HTTP), and the IP address must match the specified value.

If you want to filter for all HTTP traffic exchanged with a specific site, you can use the 'and' operator. For example: `tcp.port = 80 and ip.addr = xxjsj.com`. This filter will capture all HTTP packets sent to or received from the specified site.

To display all HTTP traffic, you need to use the following protocol and port display filter: `tcp.dstport = 80`. However, this filter only shows the HTTP packets that are being sent to the server (i.e., the requests) but not the setup handshakes and termination packets. To capture these additional packets, you can use a combination of filters.

One way to do this is by using the `http` filter in the Display Filter Toolbar. This filter displays all packets that use the HTTP protocol. However, keep in mind that this filter alone may not provide the whole picture, as it doesn't include setup handshakes and termination packets.

To get a more comprehensive view of HTTP traffic, you can combine filters to capture specific types of packets. For example: `tcp.port = 80 or tcp.srcport = 80` captures both incoming and outgoing HTTP requests. You can also use the `http.request.method == GET` filter to capture only GET requests.

In conclusion, filtering HTTP traffic in Wireshark requires a combination of filters to capture setup handshakes, termination packets, and specific types of HTTP requests. By using these filters correctly, you can gain valuable insights into your network traffic and troubleshoot issues related to HTTP communication.

List of wireshark filters