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Bruno Commands

Bruno is a lightweight, open-source, Git-native API client designed for testing and developing APIs. Unlike Postman, Bruno stores your collections as plain-text files (.bru format) that can be versioned with Git, making it ideal for team collaboration and CI/CD pipelines.

Installation

PlatformCommand
macOS (Homebrew)brew install bruno
Linux (Snap)snap install bruno
Linux (APT)sudo apt-get install bruno
Windows (Chocolatey)choco install bruno
npmnpm install -g @usebruno/cli
DownloadVisit usebruno.com/downloads

Getting Started

Launch Bruno GUI

bruno

Create a New Collection

bruno create-collection my-api-collection

Open Existing Collection

bruno /path/to/collection

Collection Management

Collection Structure

Bruno stores collections as directories with .bru files:

my-api-collection/
├── bruno.json          # Collection metadata
├── environments/
│   ├── Development.json
│   └── Production.json
├── auth/
│   └── auth.bru
└── users/
    ├── get-all-users.bru
    ├── create-user.bru
    └── update-user.bru

Import from Postman

# In Bruno GUI: Import → Select Postman collection JSON
# Or use CLI (if available for your Bruno version)

Organize Requests in Folders

Create folders within your collection to organize requests:

  • Right-click in collection tree → New Folder
  • Name folders logically (e.g., users, products, auth)
  • Drag requests between folders

Export Collection

# Collections are stored as plain files (.bru format)
# Simply commit to Git or share the directory

Bru Language (Request Format)

Bruno uses .bru files—a simple, readable markup language for requests.

Basic Request File

meta {
  name: Get All Users
  type: http
  seq: 1
}

get {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users
  auth: bearer
}

params:query {
  limit: 10
  offset: 0
}

headers {
  Content-Type: application/json
  User-Agent: Bruno/v1
}

auth:bearer {
  token: {{authToken}}
}

Request with Body

meta {
  name: Create User
  type: http
  seq: 2
}

post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users
}

headers {
  Content-Type: application/json
}

body:json {
  {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "role": "admin"
  }
}

Form Data Request

meta {
  name: Upload Profile Picture
  type: http
  seq: 3
}

post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users/{{userId}}/avatar
}

body:form-urlencoded {
  username: johndoe
  email: john@example.com
}

Form Multipart (File Upload)

meta {
  name: Upload File
  type: http
  seq: 4
}

post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/files/upload
}

body:multipartForm {
  file: @/path/to/file.pdf
  description: My document
}

CLI Commands

Run Collection or Request

# Run entire collection
bru run /path/to/collection

# Run specific request
bru run /path/to/collection/requests/get-users.bru

# Run with specific environment
bru run /path/to/collection --env Production

# Run in JSON reporter format
bru run /path/to/collection --reporter json

# Run with HTML report
bru run /path/to/collection --reporter html --output report.html

Available Reporters

ReporterCommand
CLI (default)bru run collection --reporter cli
JSONbru run collection --reporter json
HTMLbru run collection --reporter html --output report.html
JUnitbru run collection --reporter junit

Run with Variables

# Pass environment variables
bru run /path/to/collection --env Development

# Override specific variable
bru run /path/to/collection --env Production --variable apiKey=abc123

Fail on Error

# Exit with non-zero status if any test fails (useful for CI/CD)
bru run /path/to/collection --failOnError

Verbose Output

# Show detailed request/response information
bru run /path/to/collection --verbose

Environment Variables

Create Environment File

Environment files are stored as environments/EnvName.json:

{
  "baseUrl": "https://api.example.com",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
  "authToken": "bearer-token",
  "userId": "12345",
  "timeout": 5000
}

Using Variables in Requests

get {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users/{{userId}}
  timeout: {{timeout}}
}

headers {
  Authorization: Bearer {{authToken}}
  X-API-Key: {{apiKey}}
}

Switch Environments

# Via CLI
bru run /path/to/collection --env Development

# Via GUI: Select environment dropdown in Bruno interface

Environment Variables Types

TypeExampleUsage
String"apiKey": "abc123"{{apiKey}}
Number"timeout": 5000{{timeout}}
Boolean"debug": true{{debug}}
Object"config": {...}Access with scripting

Secrets Management

# Create a .env file for sensitive data (add to .gitignore)
echo "PROD_API_KEY=secret123" > .env

# Use in environment file with reference
# Or use Bruno's GUI to mark fields as "Secret"

Pre-Request Scripts

Add JavaScript before the request is sent:

// Set dynamic values
bru.setEnvVar('timestamp', Date.now());
bru.setEnvVar('nonce', Math.random().toString(36).substring(7));

// Conditional logic
if (bru.getEnvVar('env') === 'production') {
  bru.setEnvVar('timeout', 10000);
}

// Log debug info
console.log('Sending request to', bru.getEnvVar('baseUrl'));

Post-Response Scripts

Execute JavaScript after receiving the response:

// Access response data
const responseData = res.getBody();
const statusCode = res.getStatus();
const headers = res.getHeaders();

// Save values for next request
if (statusCode === 200) {
  bru.setEnvVar('authToken', responseData.token);
  bru.setEnvVar('userId', responseData.user.id);
}

// Log response
console.log('Status:', statusCode);
console.log('Response:', JSON.stringify(responseData, null, 2));

Common Response Operations

// Get status code
const status = res.getStatus();

// Get body as string
const body = res.getBody();

// Parse JSON body
const data = res.getBody(true); // true = parse as JSON

// Get headers
const contentType = res.getHeader('content-type');

// Get specific header
const authHeader = res.getHeader('authorization');

Assertions and Tests

Built-in Test Assertions

// Status code assertion
tests['Status is 200'] = (res.getStatus() === 200);

// Response body contains
tests['Response contains user'] = res.getBody().includes('john');

// JSON response validation
const data = res.getBody(true);
tests['User ID exists'] = data.user && data.user.id > 0;

// Response time
tests['Response time < 500ms'] = res.getResponseTime() < 500;

// Header validation
tests['Content-Type is JSON'] = res.getHeader('content-type').includes('application/json');

Complex Test Example

const data = res.getBody(true);

tests['Status is 201'] = res.getStatus() === 201;
tests['ID is a number'] = typeof data.id === 'number';
tests['Email is valid'] = /^[\w-\.]+@([\w-]+\.)+[\w-]{2,4}$/.test(data.email);
tests['Created at is ISO date'] = !isNaN(Date.parse(data.createdAt));

// Save for next request
if (tests['Status is 201']) {
  bru.setEnvVar('newUserId', data.id);
}

Authentication

Bearer Token

auth:bearer {
  token: {{authToken}}
}

Basic Auth

auth:basic {
  username: {{username}}
  password: {{password}}
}

API Key (Header)

headers {
  X-API-Key: {{apiKey}}
  Authorization: ApiKey {{apiKey}}
}

API Key (Query Parameter)

params:query {
  api_key: {{apiKey}}
  apiToken: {{token}}
}

OAuth 2.0

auth:oauth2 {
  grant_type: authorization_code
  authorization_url: https://provider.com/oauth/authorize
  token_url: https://provider.com/oauth/token
  client_id: {{clientId}}
  client_secret: {{clientSecret}}
  scope: read write
}

Digest Auth

auth:digest {
  username: {{username}}
  password: {{password}}
}

Request Types and Methods

GET Request

meta {
  name: Fetch User
  type: http
  seq: 1
}

get {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users/{{userId}}
}

params:query {
  includeProfile: true
  fields: id,name,email
}

POST Request

post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users
}

body:json {
  {
    "name": "Jane Doe",
    "email": "jane@example.com"
  }
}

PUT/PATCH Request

put {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users/{{userId}}
}

body:json {
  {
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "status": "active"
  }
}

DELETE Request

delete {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/api/users/{{userId}}
}

Request with Headers

headers {
  Content-Type: application/json
  Accept: application/json
  User-Agent: Bruno/v1.0
  X-Request-ID: {{requestId}}
  Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
}

Advanced Features

Collection-Level Variables

Define variables in bruno.json:

{
  "name": "My API Collection",
  "version": "1.0",
  "variables": {
    "baseUrl": "https://api.example.com",
    "version": "v1",
    "defaultTimeout": 5000
  }
}

Request Sequencing

Control request execution order in CLI runner:

meta {
  name: Authenticate
  type: http
  seq: 1
}
meta {
  name: Get User Data
  type: http
  seq: 2
}

Requests execute in seq order.

GraphQL Queries

meta {
  name: GraphQL Query
  type: http
  seq: 1
}

post {
  url: {{baseUrl}}/graphql
}

body:graphql {
  query {
    user(id: "{{userId}}") {
      id
      name
      email
    }
  }
}

Query Parameters

params:query {
  page: 1
  limit: 10
  sort: -createdAt
  filter: status:active
}

Git Workflow

Why Git-Native Matters

# Collections stored as text files
.bru/
├── users/
│   ├── get-user.bru
│   └── create-user.bru
└── products/
    └── list-products.bru

# Easy to version control
git add .
git commit -m "Update API requests"
git push origin main

# Merge conflicts are manageable
# Review changes in PRs
# Collaborate with team

Collaboration Workflow

# Team member clones collection
git clone https://github.com/team/api-collection.git
cd api-collection

# Install Bruno CLI
npm install -g @usebruno/cli

# Run tests locally
bru run . --env Development

# Make changes
# Add new requests or update existing ones

# Commit and push
git add .
git commit -m "Add payment API endpoints"
git push origin feature/payments

Ignore Sensitive Files

# .gitignore in collection root
.env
.env.local
environments/Production.json
!environments/Production.json.example
secrets/
node_modules/

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

name: API Tests

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'

      - name: Install Bruno CLI
        run: npm install -g @usebruno/cli

      - name: Run API tests
        run: bru run . --env CI --reporter json --output test-results.json

      - name: Upload results
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: test-results
          path: test-results.json

GitLab CI

api-tests:
  image: node:18
  script:
    - npm install -g @usebruno/cli
    - bru run . --env CI --reporter json --output test-results.json
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - test-results.json
    reports:
      junit: test-results.json

Local Pre-commit Hook

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-commit

echo "Running API tests..."
bru run . --env Development --failOnError

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "API tests failed. Commit aborted."
  exit 1
fi

Common Workflows

Testing REST API

# 1. Set up environment
bru run /path/to/collection --env Development

# 2. Check test results
# Tests pass/fail displayed in output

# 3. Generate report
bru run /path/to/collection --env Development --reporter html --output report.html

Load Testing with Parallel Requests

// In pre-request script
for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  bru.setEnvVar('iteration', i);
}

Dynamic Data Generation

// Generate unique email per request
const timestamp = Date.now();
bru.setEnvVar('dynamicEmail', `user_${timestamp}@example.com`);

// Generate random ID
bru.setEnvVar('randomId', Math.floor(Math.random() * 10000));

Chaining Requests

// In post-response script of first request
const data = res.getBody(true);
bru.setEnvVar('userId', data.id);
// Next request uses {{userId}}

Debugging

Enable Verbose Mode

bru run /path/to/collection --verbose

View Request/Response Details

In Bruno GUI:

  • Click request
  • View “Params” tab for query params
  • View “Body” tab for request body
  • View “Response” tab for response data
  • View “Tests” tab for test results

Console Logging

// In pre-request or post-response scripts
console.log('Variable value:', bru.getEnvVar('baseUrl'));
console.log('Full response:', res.getBody());
console.log('Status code:', res.getStatus());

Network Inspection

// Check response headers
const headers = res.getHeaders();
console.log('All headers:', headers);

// Check response time
console.log('Response time:', res.getResponseTime(), 'ms');

File Structure Best Practices

api-collection/
├── README.md                 # Documentation
├── .gitignore               # Ignore sensitive files
├── bruno.json               # Collection metadata
├── environments/            # Environment files
│   ├── Development.json
│   ├── Staging.json
│   └── Production.json
├── globals.json             # Global variables
├── auth/
│   ├── login.bru
│   └── refresh-token.bru
├── users/
│   ├── get-all-users.bru
│   ├── get-user-by-id.bru
│   ├── create-user.bru
│   ├── update-user.bru
│   └── delete-user.bru
├── products/
│   ├── list-products.bru
│   └── get-product.bru
└── scripts/
    ├── test-runner.js
    └── helpers.js

Resources

ResourceURL
Official Websiteusebruno.com
GitHub Repositorygithub.com/usebruno/bruno
Documentationdocs.usebruno.com
Downloadusebruno.com/downloads
Discord Communitydiscord.gg/usebruno
Bru Language Specgithub.com/usebruno/bru
API Testing Guidedocs.usebruno.com/api-testing
GitHub Issuesgithub.com/usebruno/bruno/issues

Tips and Tricks

  • Git Diff for Reviews: Since collections are files, use git diff to review API changes before merging
  • Environment Templates: Create .example.json files for environments to share configuration structure without secrets
  • Reusable Scripts: Store common test scripts in separate .js files and reference them
  • Variable Scope: Collection variables apply globally; request-level variables override them
  • Performance: Use --failOnError flag in CI/CD to catch test failures early
  • Documentation: Add comments in .bru files using // comment syntax
  • Versioning: Include API version in base URL variable for easy switching between versions