Product Introduction
Bruno is an open-source API client designed for developers, offering native Git integration and offline functionality to streamline API development and testing workflows. It operates as a local-first application that stores collections directly on your filesystem, enabling seamless interaction with version control systems like Git for team collaboration. The tool prioritizes developer needs by eliminating cloud dependency and maintaining data privacy through offline operation.
The core value of Bruno lies in its commitment to simplicity, extensibility, and developer-centric design without feature bloat commonly found in competing tools. It empowers users to manage API collections as code by leveraging Git for versioning, eliminating forced cloud synchronization or vendor lock-in. By focusing on essential functionality, Bruno delivers faster performance and lower resource consumption compared to traditional API clients.
Main Features
Bruno integrates directly with Git to store API collections as human-readable files in your project repository, enabling atomic commits, branch-based testing, and conflict resolution through standard Git workflows. Collections are saved in the Bru language format, which combines JSON-like syntax with Markdown documentation for clarity. This design allows developers to review diffs, track changes, and collaborate without proprietary cloud platforms.
The application operates entirely offline with no cloud synchronization, ensuring sensitive API data never leaves your local environment or version control system. All collection data persists on your device’s filesystem, with optional manual pushes to Git repositories for team sharing. This architecture guarantees compliance with strict security protocols and data residency requirements.
As an open-source tool under active community development, Bruno supports customization through plugins and contributions via its public GitHub repository. Developers can extend functionality, create custom themes, or modify the core codebase without restrictions. The project maintains transparency through public roadmaps and community-driven feature prioritization.
Problems Solved
Bruno addresses the inefficiency of cloud-dependent API clients that require account creation, internet connectivity, and forced data synchronization to third-party servers. Traditional tools like Postman impose workflow interruptions through login walls, delayed syncs, and limited offline capabilities. Bruno eliminates these friction points by treating API collections as local files managed through Git.
The primary target users are software developers, QA engineers, and DevOps teams working in environments requiring strict data control, versioning, and collaboration without cloud exposure. Enterprises with security compliance needs (e.g., financial institutions, healthcare systems) benefit from Bruno’s offline-first approach and self-hosted collaboration via private Git repositories.
Typical use cases include testing CI/CD pipeline APIs using version-controlled collections, conducting security audits without internet access, and maintaining API documentation alongside codebases in monorepos. Teams can parallelize API development across branches while avoiding conflicts through Git’s merge/rebase capabilities.
Unique Advantages
Unlike Postman or Insomnia, Bruno stores collections as plaintext files in standardized formats rather than proprietary databases, enabling direct editing via code editors and seamless Git integration. This eliminates vendor lock-in and ensures long-term accessibility of API definitions. The tool’s architecture avoids Electron.js, resulting in faster startup times and 90% lower memory usage compared to competitors.
Bruno introduces a filesystem-based workspace where each collection corresponds to a folder structure, mirroring project repositories for intuitive navigation. The Bru language combines executable API requests with Markdown documentation in a single file, enabling code reviews and automated testing through Git hooks.
Competitive advantages include native support for Git workflows without plugins, community-driven extensibility through open-source contributions, and zero telemetry data collection. Performance benchmarks show Bruno launches in under 2 seconds and uses less than 100MB RAM, outperforming cloud-based alternatives that require persistent background processes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does Bruno sync data from my app? Bruno operates exclusively offline and does not transmit any data to external servers or cloud platforms. All collections remain on your local machine unless manually pushed to a Git repository or shared via file systems. This design ensures full control over data distribution and compliance with internal security policies.
How does collaboration work? Teams collaborate by storing Bruno collections in Git repositories (GitHub, GitLab, etc.), leveraging pull requests, code reviews, and branch protection rules for change management. Version control systems provide audit trails, access controls, and conflict resolution mechanisms without relying on Bruno-specific cloud infrastructure.
Do you provide any support plans? Bruno offers community-driven support through GitHub Discussions and Discord channels, with no enterprise-tier paid support currently available. The open-source model allows organizations to self-maintain forks or hire third-party developers for custom implementations. Commercial support options may be introduced based on community demand.
Can my company put an Enterprise agreement in place? Bruno does not offer formal enterprise licensing agreements due to its open-source MIT license, which permits unrestricted commercial use. Companies can integrate Bruno into their workflows without contractual obligations, though custom legal assurances require community coordination or private forks.
What about SSO and RBAC? Authentication and access controls are managed through your Git provider’s existing SSO/RBAC systems when collaborating on collections. Bruno itself does not implement user management features, deferring to version control platforms for permission enforcement and audit logging.
