In order to download internet resources,you need to know the location of it,or as we call them URL. There are so many URL sniffers or packets sniffers that can sniff the real URLs. But since most of them are not free or might not feed the need of some users(light-weight size,easy to use),I pick my favorite and most efficient tools to sniff the URLs.
1. Smartsniff
Download link: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/smsniff.htmlIt's easily my favorite sniffer out of all the tools. Reasons? So many.
First of all,its freeware.I think its not right to spend money on a tool just to find a simple URL.
2nd,its a light-weight software,its only 53kb and doesnt require installation in order to use it. You can even put it in your USB drive and run it on any computer.
3rd,URL display mode and sorting feature let you easily find out the url you want.Once you start to capture,it will capture the packets from the sources,let it capture for a few seconds,then stop it,change to URL mode and sort the packets received,the one with most packets captured is usually the URL you want.
4th,it supports multiple capture methods,unlike most other sniffers out there which requires WinPcap installed to use it.Raw Sockets mode is very convenient for Windows XP/2k users like me.
5th,other features like capture filter,different display modes are useful.
Disadvantge: Its a simple http sniffer and it cannot sniff other protocols like mms,rtsp,rtmp,etc.Smartsniff make a great packets sniffer.A must-have tiny freeware in your computer.
2. Bit Analyzer
Download link: http://bitanalyzer.com/This tool comes in 2nd on my favorite sniffers list. Another freeware with light-weight file size,though it requires installation and WinPcap.The installation copies 2 files to your computer.You can just copy the executable file to USB drive and use it like Smartsniff.It can also sniff mms,rtsp URLs unlike Smartsniff. The easy to use interface is also the reason why i'd love to use it.
Disadvantage: Requires WinPcap installed.
3. URL Snooper
Download link: http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/urlsnooper/This handy tool only comes in 3rd on my list,are you surprised?
Most of people would like it a lot because its a well-known free URL sniffer,I am not too sold on this tool,but its still a good sniffer nonetheless .It can sniff rtmp URL which is a big advantage over Smartsniff and Bit Analyzer.
Disadvantage: Requires WinPcap installed & has issues with some network interface cards.
4. Effetech HTTP Sniffer
Download link: http://www.effetech.com/sniffer/
Another HTTP sniffer like Smartsniff,but it requires WinPcap installed.
I dont use it too often,but I'd use it on saving hard-to-download files which means you cannot directly download the file using download manager.It has a special feature to capture packets coming to your NIC and reconstruct the packets into readable http files.Simply right click on the URL and click "Save the file" But you must wait the file(music,video) fully loaded in browser then save it to your disk or the file will be corrupted and unreadable.
Disadvantage: Commercial software.Requires WinPcap installed and it cannot sniff other protocols like mms,rtsp,rtmp,etc.
Other tools: URL Helper (Commercial) / Grab++ @Orbit Downloader (Freeware) / Sniffer @ NetXfer (Commercial) / File Sniffer @Maxthon Browser(Freeware) / Firefox addon - Live HTTP headers(Freeware) / GetASFStream(Freeware)
Which one(s) is/are your favorite(s)? Please leave comments.
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