ScriptsApr 11, 2026·1 min read

Bruno — Open-Source IDE for API Exploration & Testing

Bruno is an open-source IDE for exploring and testing APIs — a lightweight, offline-first alternative to Postman and Insomnia. Stores collections as plain text files in your filesystem so they version-control naturally with Git.

SC
Script Depot · Community
Quick Use

Use it first, then decide how deep to go

This block should tell both the user and the agent what to copy, install, and apply first.

Download from https://www.usebruno.com/downloads (Mac/Win/Linux) or:

# macOS
brew install bruno

# CLI for CI
npm i -g @usebruno/cli
bru run --env prod tests/

Create a request (users.bru):

meta {
  name: List Users
  type: http
  seq: 1
}

get {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users
  body: none
  auth: bearer
}

auth:bearer {
  token: {{token}}
}
Intro

Bruno is an open-source, offline-first API client. Stores collections as plain .bru text files in your filesystem — perfect for Git versioning. The Postman-killer for teams who refuse cloud lock-in.

What Bruno Does

  • HTTP requests — REST, GraphQL, gRPC (beta)
  • Plain text storage — .bru files in your repo
  • Environments — dev/staging/prod variables
  • Scripting — pre-request and post-response JavaScript
  • Tests — assertions on responses
  • Auth — Basic, Bearer, OAuth2, AWS Sig
  • CLI — bru run for CI/CD
  • Offline — no account, no cloud sync

Architecture

Electron app + open .bru file format (similar to HTTP files). Each collection is a directory tree. Environment files are .env style. CLI shares the same engine for headless runs.

Self-Hosting

Desktop app — no server. Collections live in your Git repo.

# Project structure
my-api/
├── bruno.json
├── environments/
│   ├── dev.bru
│   └── prod.bru
└── users/
    ├── list.bru
    └── create.bru

Key Features

  • Plain text .bru format (Git-friendly)
  • Offline by default (no cloud account)
  • Environment variables
  • JavaScript scripting (pre/post)
  • Built-in assertions
  • CLI for CI/CD
  • OpenAPI/Postman import
  • Free, no paywall

Comparison

Tool Storage Cloud CLI Price
Bruno Plain text Optional Yes Free
Postman Cloud DB Required Newman Paid tiers
Insomnia YAML Optional Inso Paid tiers
Hoppscotch Cloud/local Optional Yes Free + paid

常见问题 FAQ

Q: 能从 Postman 迁移吗？ A: 能。File → Import → 选 Postman collection JSON。Bruno 自动转 .bru 文件。

Q: 团队协作怎么做？ A: 把 collection 存 Git 仓库，团队 push/pull。环境变量用 .env 隔离敏感信息。

Q: 支持 GraphQL 吗？ A: 支持。请求类型选 GraphQL，自动提供 introspection。

来源与致谢 Sources

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