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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Bruno Has a Free API Client — Git-Friendly Alternative to Postman

#api #tools #testing #opensource

Bruno is an open-source API client — test APIs like Postman, but collections are stored as files in your Git repo.

What You Get for Free

  • Git-friendly — collections stored as .bru files in your repo
  • No cloud sync — your data stays on your machine
  • Environments — variables for dev, staging, production
  • Scripting — pre/post request scripts in JavaScript
  • Testing — assertions and test scripts per request
  • Code generation — generate cURL, Python, JavaScript, etc.
  • Auth support — Bearer, Basic, OAuth2, API Key
  • GraphQL — first-class GraphQL support
  • Collection runner — run all requests in sequence

Quick Start

  1. Download from usebruno.com (free, no account needed)
  2. Create a collection → Add request → Send
  3. Save → Files appear in your project directory 
# bruno/login.bru (plain text, Git-trackable)
meta {
  name: Login
  type: http
  seq: 1
}
post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/auth/login
  body: json
}
body:json {
  { "email": "test@example.com", "password": "secret" }
}
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Why Developers Switch from Postman

Postman moved to mandatory cloud sync and monetized features:

  • No account required — download and use, period
  • Git-native — collections are files, version controlled
  • No cloud — data never leaves your machine
  • Open source — community-driven, no monetization surprises

A team's Postman collections were in someone's cloud account — new devs couldn't access them without being invited. After Bruno: collections in Git, git pull = everyone has the latest API tests.

Need Custom Data Solutions?

I build production-grade scrapers and data pipelines for startups, agencies, and research teams.

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Custom project? Email me: spinov001@gmail.com — fast turnaround, fair pricing.

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