Bruno - A Fast and Git-Friendly Open Source API Client

Bruno is an open-source API client designed to revolutionize the current state of API testing tools. Unlike tools like Postman and Insomnia, Bruno adopts an innovative local-first strategy, storing API collections directly in the local file system and using a specially designed Bru plain text markup language to save API request information. This design not only ensures data security but also greatly enhances work efficiency.

Core Features of Bruno¶

Offline First Design¶

All data is stored locally, eliminating concerns about network connectivity.
Completely independent of cloud services, ensuring data privacy and security.
Quick response times without waiting for cloud synchronization.
Supports local environment variable and configuration management.

Strong Git Integration¶

API collections can be directly version-controlled through Git.
Supports branch management for parallel development.
Complete change history tracking.
Team collaboration is smoother without the need for additional tools.

Open Source and Community Support¶

MIT open-source license, with fully open source code.
An active developer community.
Regular updates and bug fixes.
Supports community contributions and plugin development.

Cross-Platform Compatibility¶

Supports macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Provides multiple installation methods:
Official installation package
Package managers like Homebrew, Chocolatey, etc.
Docker container support
Unified user experience.

Professional-Level Feature Support¶

Supports all standard HTTP methods.
Powerful environment variable management.
Built-in testing script functionality.
Request linking and dependency management.
Response data visualization.
Supports GraphQL.
Built-in performance analysis tools.

Detailed Comparison of Bruno with Mainstream Tools¶

Data Storage and Privacy¶

Bruno:
Local storage using Bru text format.
Complete control over data, zero risk of data leakage.
Supports custom storage locations.
Can seamlessly integrate into existing development workflows.
Postman & Insomnia:
Primarily promotes cloud storage models.
Requires account login to use full features.
Data storage locations are opaque.
Potential data security risks.

Version Control and Collaboration¶

Bruno:
Native support for Git workflows.
Team collaboration without additional subscriptions.
Supports code review processes.
Can integrate into CI/CD processes.
Postman & Insomnia:
Team collaboration features require paid subscriptions.
Uses proprietary synchronization mechanisms.
Limited version control features.
Difficult to integrate into existing development processes.

Open Source and Pricing Strategy¶

Bruno:
Open source and free, core features are permanently available.
Commercial version charges only for enterprise-level features.
Transparent development roadmap.
Community-driven feature development.
Postman & Insomnia:
Basic features are free but limited.
Core features require subscriptions.
Prices may change at any time.
Feature updates depend on business decisions.

Practical Application Scenarios¶

Development Testing¶

Quickly create and test API endpoints.
Manage multiple environment configurations.
Integrate automated testing.
Performance testing and monitoring.

Team Collaboration¶

Share API collections.
Unified testing standards.
Version control and code review.
Collaborative maintenance of documentation.

CI/CD Integration¶

Run automated tests.
Continuous integration processes.
Generate test reports.
Ensure consistency across environments.

Summary¶

Bruno, with its innovative local-first architecture, seamless Git integration, and open-source features, provides developers with a secure, efficient, and modern API development environment. It is not only a strong alternative to Postman and Insomnia but also represents the future direction of API development tools. Whether you are an individual developer or part of a large team, Bruno can meet your API development and testing needs while maintaining high security and controllability.