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what is bruno fr?

usebruno/bruno — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

43,541JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

tl;dr

Bruno is an offline-only open-source desktop app for testing APIs that stores collections as plain text files you can version-control with Git, a privacy-first Postman alternative.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((bruno))
    What it does
      API testing
      Request collections
      Scripting
    Tech Stack
      JavaScript
      Electron
      Bru format
    Use Cases
      Replace Postman
      Git-tracked APIs
      GraphQL testing
      Team collaboration
    Audience
      Developers
      API consumers

Code map

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filefunction / class

what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Test and debug REST and GraphQL APIs from a desktop app without creating a cloud account.

VIBE 2

Store API collections as plain text files alongside your codebase and review changes in Git pull requests.

VIBE 3

Replace Postman for a team that wants version-controlled API collections without cloud sync.

VIBE 4

Automate API testing with pre-request and post-response scripts inside your collection files.

what's the stack?

JavaScriptElectron

how it stacks up fr

usebruno/brunonaibowang/easyspiderunitech/pm2
Stars43,54143,75343,113
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/51/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneralops devops

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

how do i run it?

Difficulty · easy time til it works · 5min
Most features are free and open source under MIT, use for any purpose including commercial, some advanced features require a paid tier.

in plain english

Bruno is an open-source desktop application for testing and exploring APIs, the interfaces that allow software systems to communicate with each other. It serves as a lightweight alternative to tools like Postman or Insomnia, which are widely used by developers to craft and send HTTP requests, inspect responses, and organize collections of API calls for testing and documentation purposes. The key differentiator of Bruno is its philosophy around data storage. Rather than saving your API collections in a proprietary cloud database or a binary format, Bruno stores everything as plain text files in a folder on your own computer using a custom markup language called Bru. This means your collections can be tracked with Git or any other version control system, just like source code. Teams can collaborate on API collections through standard pull requests and code reviews without needing a Bruno account or cloud subscription. Bruno is deliberately offline-only, the project has stated it will never add cloud sync, prioritizing data privacy. Someone would use Bruno when they are building or consuming web APIs and need to send test requests, inspect responses, write pre-request or post-response scripts, and organize those requests into reusable collections. It supports HTTP, GraphQL, and automation scripting. It is especially appealing to developers who are frustrated by Postman's shift toward requiring a cloud account and syncing data remotely, or who simply want their API collections stored and versioned alongside their codebase. Bruno runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The tech stack is JavaScript, built with Electron to package the web-based interface into a native desktop application. Most features are free and open source under the MIT license, with some advanced features available in paid tiers.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Show me how to create a Bruno collection that tests a REST API and commit it to a Git repository as a Bru file.
prompt 2
How do I write a Bruno pre-request script that sets an Authorization header using a JWT token stored in an environment variable?
prompt 3
How do I share a Bruno API collection with my team through GitHub without anyone needing a Bruno account?
prompt 4
Show me how to send a GraphQL query in Bruno and inspect the JSON response fields.
prompt 5
How do I use Bruno environments to switch between my local dev API and the production API URL?

Frequently asked questions

what is bruno fr?

Bruno is an offline-only open-source desktop app for testing APIs that stores collections as plain text files you can version-control with Git, a privacy-first Postman alternative.

What language is bruno written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Electron.

What license does bruno use?

Most features are free and open source under MIT, use for any purpose including commercial, some advanced features require a paid tier.

How hard is bruno to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is bruno for?

Mainly developer.

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