Overview
Bruno is a desktop API client for designing, testing, and sharing API requests and collections. It focuses on keeping API collections in plain text files so they can be version-controlled with Git and reviewed like code, making collaboration and change tracking simpler.
Quick Info
- Category
- Developer Tools
- Pricing
- freemium
- Website
- usebruno.com
Who It's For
Target Audience
Developers and small to mid-sized engineering teams who work with APIs and want Git-friendly, offline-first API collections
Common Use Cases
- Creating and running REST/GraphQL API requests during development and debugging
- Storing API collections in a Git repo for team collaboration, code review, and change history
- Maintaining separate environments (dev/staging/prod) with variables and secrets for consistent testing
- Automating or standardizing API testing workflows across a team without relying on a cloud workspace
- Onboarding new engineers by providing a repo-based, reproducible set of API requests and examples
Key Features
File-based API collections
Stores requests and collections as files on disk rather than a proprietary cloud format. This makes collections portable, easy to back up, and straightforward to manage in Git.
Git-friendly collaboration
Because collections are plain files, teams can use pull requests, diffs, and code review to track changes to API requests. This reduces accidental overwrites and improves auditability.
Environment variables and configuration
Supports environments (e.g., local, staging, production) with variables for base URLs, tokens, and parameters. This helps avoid manual edits and reduces mistakes when switching targets.
Request builder for common API needs
Provides a UI to create and run requests with headers, query params, body payloads, and authentication. This speeds up debugging and makes it easier to share reproducible requests.
Scripting and test assertions (typical for modern API clients)
Enables lightweight pre-request logic and response checks so you can validate status codes, schemas, or key fields. This helps turn ad-hoc calls into repeatable checks.
Offline-first desktop workflow
Designed to work without requiring a hosted workspace, which can be important for restricted environments, sensitive APIs, or developers who prefer local tooling.
Why Choose Bruno
Key Benefits
- Better traceability: changes to API requests can be reviewed and audited via Git history
- More reliable collaboration: easier sharing through repos, branches, and pull requests
- Faster debugging: quickly run and iterate on requests with repeatable environments
- Improved portability: collections travel with the codebase and are easy to clone and set up
- Reduced cloud dependency: works well for offline or security-conscious workflows
Problems It Solves
- API collections stored in proprietary formats or cloud workspaces that are hard to review and version
- Collaboration issues like conflicting edits and lack of clear change history for API requests
- Inconsistent testing across environments due to manual URL/token switching
- Security or compliance concerns with syncing API requests and secrets to third-party cloud services
Pricing
Bruno is commonly positioned as a developer tool with a free core desktop experience; some teams may opt for paid tiers for advanced collaboration, enterprise controls, or support. Exact pricing may vary, so confirm on the vendor site for current details.
Free
Core desktop API client features for building and running requests, managing collections locally, and using environments.
Pro
PopularAdvanced productivity features such as enhanced scripting/testing, additional collaboration conveniences, and priority updates (assumed based on typical market packaging).
Team/Enterprise
Organization-level needs such as centralized policy controls, compliance/security requirements, SSO, and dedicated support (assumed).
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- Git-native workflow makes API collections easier to review, merge, and maintain over time
- Offline-first approach can suit security-sensitive or restricted environments
- Portable, repo-based collections help standardize API usage across teams
- Environment management reduces errors when switching between dev/staging/prod
- Good fit for developers who prefer tooling that behaves like code (files, diffs, PRs)
Limitations
- If your team relies heavily on cloud workspaces, real-time sharing, or hosted collaboration features, a local-first tool may feel less convenient
- File-based workflows can introduce merge conflicts that require Git comfort to resolve
- Some advanced capabilities (e.g., enterprise controls or deeper automation) may require paid tiers or may be less mature than long-established competitors
Alternatives
Postman is strong for cloud workspaces, sharing, and a large ecosystem. Choose Postman if you want hosted collaboration and extensive integrations; choose Bruno if you prefer Git-controlled, local collections and less cloud dependency.
Insomnia offers a polished API client experience with good support for REST/GraphQL and environments. Choose Insomnia for a mature desktop-first client with optional sync; choose Bruno when Git-first, file-based collections are the priority.
Hoppscotch is lightweight and often web-based, great for quick testing and sharing. Choose Hoppscotch for speed and simplicity in the browser; choose Bruno for repo-backed collections and a more structured, version-controlled workflow.
Getting Started
Download and install Bruno from https://usebruno.com for your operating system
Create a new collection (or open an existing collection folder from a Git repository)
Set up environments and variables (e.g., base URL, API keys/tokens) for dev/staging/prod
Create and run your first request, then commit the collection files to Git to share with your team
The Bottom Line
Bruno is a strong choice for developers and teams who want an API client that treats collections like code—stored locally, versioned in Git, and easy to review. If your workflow depends on cloud-first collaboration, large marketplace ecosystems, or extensive hosted features, you may be better served by Postman or similar tools.