Bruno
Bruno is an open-source API client and integrated development environment (IDE) for exploring, testing, and debugging REST, GraphQL, and other HTTP APIs. It is designed as a lightweight, privacy-focused alternative to commercial tools like Postman and Insomnia, with a strong emphasis on storing API collections locally as plain text files. Built on Electron, Bruno runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports variables, environments, pre-request scripts, and assertions, enabling developers to create complex API workflows without relying on a cloud account. Collections are saved in a human-readable format that can be easily versioned with Git. Bruno also includes a command-line interface (CLI) runner that allows API tests to be executed in CI/CD pipelines, making it suitable for both interactive development and automated testing. Because all data remains on the user's machine, it appeals to teams concerned about data privacy and vendor lock-in.
- Category
- Dev Tools
- Pricing
- Open Source
Problem solved
Bruno solves the problem of needing a lightweight, offline-capable API testing client that stores collections as version-controllable plain text files. Unlike cloud-based tools, it eliminates account requirements and data sharing, giving developers full control over their API collections and enabling seamless Git-based collaboration.
Use cases
- Testing REST API endpoints during development
- Debugging GraphQL queries and mutations
- Automating API test suites via the Bruno CLI in CI/CD
- Sharing and versioning API collections through Git
- Managing environment-specific variables and secrets locally
- Running smoke tests against production APIs
Audience
- Developers
- ML Engineers
- Data Scientists
- Startups
- Enterprise
Pros
- Open source and free to use
- Stores collections as plain text files for easy Git versioning
- Works fully offline with no account required
- Lightweight and fast compared to Postman
- Includes CLI for CI/CD automation
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem and fewer integrations than Postman
- Limited built-in cloud collaboration features
- Requires technical knowledge to use the CLI effectively
- Electron-based app may consume more memory than native alternatives
- Fewer pre-built templates and community extensions
Official website: https://github.com/usebruno/bruno
Canonical LambdaBase page: https://www.lambdabase.com/tools/bruno