What is Bruno used for?

Bruno is a Git-friendly, offline-only API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket that stores collections as plain text files, an open-source alternative to Postman. It is a good fit for replacing Postman with a local-first client, versioning API collections alongside code and running API tests in CI pipelines.

Is Bruno open source?

Yes. Bruno is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at usebruno/bruno and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Bruno is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $6 per seat per month.

What is Bruno an alternative to?

Bruno is an open-source alternative to Postman, Apidog, Thunder Client and Kreya. Other open-source alternatives to Postman include Insomnia, Hoppscotch and Yaak.

Is Bruno actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Bruno was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.2.1, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 47k stars on GitHub.

Bruno: open-source alternative to Postman, Apidog

About Bruno

Bruno is an open-source API client and testing environment, described as a lightweight alternative to Postman and Insomnia. It supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket requests, and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Its distinguishing idea is that collections live directly in a folder on your filesystem, saved in a plain text markup language called Bru. That means you can version and share API collections with Git or any version control system you already use. Bruno is offline only, and the maintainers state they have no plans to add cloud sync, because they believe your data should stay on your device. A CLI runs collections from the command line for automated testing and CI/CD, and a Docker option is also documented.

The core is MIT licensed, and the project offers paid versions that add further features for teams that want them. Bruno can be installed from the website or through Homebrew, Chocolatey, Scoop, Snap, Flatpak and Apt. It suits developers who prefer keeping API definitions next to their code.

Key features

REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket requests
Collections stored as plain text Bru files
Git-based collaboration on API collections
Offline-only with no cloud sync
Bruno CLI for CI/CD test runs
Install via Homebrew, Chocolatey, Snap and more

Good fit for

→Replacing Postman with a local-first client
→Versioning API collections alongside code
→Running API tests in CI pipelines

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: api-client; api-testing; postman-alternative; git; graphql; grpc; rest; offline

Bruno: questions and answers

What is Bruno used for?: Bruno is a Git-friendly, offline-only API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket that stores collections as plain text files, an open-source alternative to Postman. It is a good fit for replacing Postman with a local-first client, versioning API collections alongside code and running API tests in CI pipelines.
Is Bruno open source?: Yes. Bruno is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at usebruno/bruno and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Bruno free?: Yes. Bruno is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $6 per seat per month.
What is Bruno an alternative to?: Bruno is an open-source alternative to Postman, Apidog, Thunder Client and Kreya. Other open-source alternatives to Postman include Insomnia, Hoppscotch and Yaak.
Is Bruno actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Bruno was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v4.2.1, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 47k stars on GitHub.