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Simulator

The Simulator allows you to test a Message Profile without invoking a live downstream provider.

It executes the configured Request or Response pipeline using the selected Service Account and displays the transformed output.

This enables safe validation of encryption, signing, JSON extraction, and transformation logic before deploying to production.

Message profile simulation screen

Figure 1: Message profile simulation interface in Connect.

Purpose​

The Simulator helps you:

  • Validate request encryption logic
  • Validate response decryption logic
  • Test signature generation and verification
  • Inspect intermediate parameter behavior
  • Troubleshoot execution errors

It runs the exact same execution engine used during Gateway runtime.

Selecting a Service Account​

Before executing the profile, select a Service Account.

The selected account provides:

  • Cryptographic material (Private Keys, Public Keys, Secrets)
  • Dynamic message parameters
  • Environment-specific configuration values

If a step parameter uses Mustache syntax such as:

{{PRIVATE_KEY}}

The Simulator resolves the value from the selected Service Account before executing the step.

This allows the same Message Profile to be reused across multiple environments (UAT, Production, etc.) without modifying step configuration.

Request Mode​

The Request tab simulates outbound processing.

Steps executed:

  • All configured Request pipeline steps
  • In configured execution order

Input:

  • Plain request body

Output:

  • Transformed or encrypted request body

The result displayed represents the final value of:

REQUEST_BODY_OUTPUT

Response Mode​

The Response tab simulates inbound processing.

Steps executed:

  • All configured Response pipeline steps
  • In configured execution order

Input:

  • Encrypted or raw downstream response

Output:

  • Decrypted or transformed response body

The result displayed represents the final value of:

RESPONSE_BODY_OUTPUT

Error Handling​

If a step fails during execution:

  • Execution stops immediately
  • The error message is displayed
  • No partial output is produced

The Simulator returns only the step error message to help isolate configuration issues.

Execution Behavior​

The Simulator uses:

  • The selected Service Account
  • The configured Message Profile
  • The same step execution engine used at runtime

No downstream call is performed.

All processing occurs locally within the profile execution context.

Summary​

The Simulator provides a controlled environment to validate Message Profile behavior before enabling it in live Gateway traffic.

By combining Service Account parameter resolution with deterministic step execution, it ensures predictable and secure integration testing.