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API Client

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

Bruno

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

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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

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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.