> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://metalbear.com/mirrord/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://metalbear.com/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic.md).

# Incoming Traffic

How mirrord sends incoming traffic from a pod in the cluster to your local process.

mirrord lets your local process receive network traffic that would normally go to a pod in the cluster. There are two modes:

## Mirroring (default)

In the default configuration, mirrord **mirrors** incoming TCP traffic - your local process receives a copy of the traffic while the remote pod continues to handle it normally. Responses from your local process are dropped. This is a safe, read-only way to observe how your code handles real requests.

## Stealing

In **steal** mode, mirrord intercepts incoming traffic and redirects it to your local process instead of the remote pod. Your local process becomes the one responding to real requests. This is useful when you need to test how your code handles and responds to live traffic.

Steal mode can be configured in your mirrord config:

```json
{
  "feature": {
    "network": {
      "incoming": "steal"
    }
  }
}
```

To steal filtered traffic for several services at once, [`mirrord up`](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/multiple-concurrent-sessions.md) manages multiple sessions from a single config file.

## What's in this section

* [**Filter Incoming Traffic**](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/filter-incoming-traffic.md) - Steal only a subset of traffic using HTTP header, W3C `baggage`/`tracestate`, path, or method filters
  * [Filtering by JSON Body](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/filter-incoming-traffic/filtering-by-json-body.md) - Filter based on request body content
  * [Debug from Browser](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/filter-incoming-traffic/debug-from-browser.md) - Use the Chrome extension to route browser traffic to your local process
* [**Steal HTTPS Requests**](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/steal-https.md) **\[Teams]** - Decrypt and steal HTTPS traffic using TLS certificates
* [**Inspect Live Traffic**](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/inspect-live-traffic.md) - Monitor incoming traffic without running a local process
* [**Working with API Gateways**](/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic/api-gateways.md) - Use mirrord with services behind Kong, Envoy Gateway, NGINX, Traefik, or your own gateway


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://metalbear.com/mirrord/docs/using-mirrord/incoming-traffic.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.