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What is runtimebrowser?

nst/runtimebrowser — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

3,653Objective-CAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

In one sentence

RuntimeBrowser lets iOS and macOS developers browse and inspect all live Objective-C classes running on a device.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((RuntimeBrowser))
    What it does
      Browses live Objective-C classes
      Inspects methods and instances
      iOS and macOS versions
    Tech stack
      Objective-C
    Use cases
      Explore undocumented APIs
      Inspect app internals
      Study Apple frameworks
    Audience
      iOS developers
      macOS developers

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Explore undocumented Apple APIs by browsing live Objective-C classes on a device

USE CASE 2

Create instances of classes and invoke methods at runtime to test behavior

USE CASE 3

Drag and drop frameworks into the macOS version to inspect their headers

What is it built with?

Objective-C

How does it compare?

nst/runtimebrowsersyncthing/syncthing-macosyalantis/foldingtabbar.ios
Stars3,6533,6703,671
LanguageObjective-CObjective-CObjective-C
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity3/51/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Maintained since 2008, a prebuilt macOS download is linked from the README.

So what is it?

RuntimeBrowser is a development tool for iOS and macOS that lets you browse all the Objective-C classes that are loaded and running on a device at any given moment. Objective-C is the older Apple programming language that underlies much of iOS and macOS, and the "runtime" is the system that manages classes, methods, and objects while an app is active. This tool gives you a live window into that system. On iOS, you can navigate classes organized by tree, image, or a flat indexed list, and search by class name. The tool can retrieve header files over a local HTTP connection on port 10000. It can also create instances of most classes and invoke methods on them at runtime, including passing in parameters. This is useful for developers who want to understand how Apple's internal or undocumented APIs work, or who are exploring the internals of a third-party framework. The macOS version adds syntax colorization, the ability to search inside class contents rather than just names, and support for browsing by protocols in addition to class trees. You can drag and drop frameworks and header files directly into the browser to inspect them. A prebuilt download for macOS is linked from the README. Both versions display information in the standard Objective-C header file format, the same style any iOS or macOS developer would recognize. The project has been maintained since 2008 and originated in 2002. A companion repository called iOS-Runtime-Headers shows a snapshot of iOS headers as seen through this tool. The README notes that each user is responsible for their own use of the tool, given its ability to inspect internal class structures.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me use RuntimeBrowser to inspect classes loaded on an iOS device
Prompt 2
Explain how to search inside class contents on the macOS version
Prompt 3
Show me how to retrieve header files over the local HTTP connection
Prompt 4
Walk me through invoking a method on a class instance with RuntimeBrowser

Frequently asked questions

What is runtimebrowser?

RuntimeBrowser lets iOS and macOS developers browse and inspect all live Objective-C classes running on a device.

What language is runtimebrowser written in?

Mainly Objective-C. The stack also includes Objective-C.

How hard is runtimebrowser to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is runtimebrowser for?

Mainly developer.

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