Bruno API Client Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-05-16

Next Topic: ChatGPT & OpenAI API Cheat Sheet

🧠Study flashcards on this topic97 cards · spaced repetition→

Bruno is a Git-friendly, offline-first, open-source API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket testing. Unlike cloud-dependent alternatives like Postman, Bruno stores collections as plain-text .bru markup files in your local filesystem, making them version-controllable with Git. This approach enables true collaborative workflows, eliminates vendor lock-in, and respects privacy by keeping all data local. Bruno's unique value lies in its plain-text format: collections live alongside code, survive across teams, and integrate seamlessly with existing developer tools—no accounts, no sync conflicts, no cloud dependencies.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 24 focused tables and 153 indexed concepts, 97 flashcards. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Collection and Workspace ManagementTable 2: Variable Types and ScopesTable 3: Request Types and ProtocolsTable 4: Request Body FormatsTable 5: Authentication MethodsTable 6: Scripting and AutomationTable 7: Testing and AssertionsTable 8: Dynamic Variables and Data GenerationTable 9: Environment and Secrets ManagementTable 10: Collection Runner and Data-Driven TestingTable 11: CLI and CI/CD IntegrationTable 12: Git Integration and CollaborationTable 13: Import and ExportTable 14: Code Generation and ExportTable 15: Response Handling and VisualizationTable 16: Headers and ParametersTable 17: Cookies ManagementTable 18: Proxy and Network ConfigurationTable 19: Request History and DebuggingTable 20: Documentation GenerationTable 21: Settings and CustomizationTable 22: VS Code ExtensionTable 23: Performance and MonitoringTable 24: Licensing and Editions

Quick IndexSubscribe to unlock

A jump-to index of every table row in this cheat sheet.

Mind MapSubscribe to unlock

An interactive map of every table and concept in this topic.

Table 1: Collection and Workspace Management

Everything in Bruno is built around a folder on your disk: workspaces group collections, collections group requests, and each request is just a .bru text file. Understanding this hierarchy — and the Bru markup language that backs it — is the foundation for everything else, since it's what makes Bruno Git-friendly in the first place.

Feature	Example	Description
Workspace	Right-click sidebar → `New Workspace`	• Container that groups multiple collections, environments, and API specifications together • enables organization by project or team
Collection	Click `+` → `Create Collection` → Select folder	• Folder-based set of API requests stored in filesystem • stored as `.bru` files with plain-text markup instead of JSON
Folder organization	Right-click collection → `New Folder`	• Hierarchical request grouping within collections • supports nested folders for complex API structures
Bru markup language	`meta {` `name: Login` `}` `get {` `url: {{baseUrl}}/auth` `}`	• Plain-text DSL for storing API requests • human-readable format with JSON-like semantics, Git-friendly with minimal merge conflicts
Collection settings	Right-click collection → `Settings`	Configure collection-level defaults: base URL, auth, headers, scripts, client certificates, pre-request variables.
Request creation	Right-click folder → `New Request` → Select HTTP method	• Create individual API requests • supports GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, and custom HTTP methods

Table 2: Variable Types and Scopes

Bruno offers several flavors of variable, and the key to using them well is scope — how widely each one reaches and how long it lives. Environment variables swap per deployment target, collection and folder variables share values across requests, and runtime variables exist only during a single execution. The order they appear in roughly tracks from narrowest to broadest reach.

Type	Example	Description
Environment variables	Create env → Add `baseUrl: https://api.dev.com`	• Scoped to specific environment (local, staging, prod) • stored in collection's `environments/` folder as `.bru` files

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 3: Request Types and Protocols

Bruno isn't just a REST client — it speaks GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket too, so you can test most of a modern backend from one tool. Each protocol brings its own conveniences, like schema introspection for GraphQL or server reflection for gRPC.

Protocol	Example	Description
REST API	`GET {{baseUrl}}/users/{{userId}}`	• Standard HTTP requests with methods GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS • supports query params, headers, body

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 4: Request Body Formats

When a request carries data, Bruno lets you pick how that payload is encoded. JSON covers most API work, but you'll reach for form-encoded bodies on traditional endpoints, multipart for file uploads, and raw binary or plain text when you need full control over what gets sent.

Format	Example	Description
JSON	`{` `"name": "{{name}}",` `"email": "{{email}}"` `}`	• Most common body format • syntax highlighting and validation • supports variable interpolation

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 1: Collection and Workspace Management

Feature	Example	Description
Workspace	Right-click sidebar → `New Workspace`	• Container that groups multiple collections, environments, and API specifications together • enables organization by project or team
Collection	Click `+` → `Create Collection` → Select folder	• Folder-based set of API requests stored in filesystem • stored as `.bru` files with plain-text markup instead of JSON
Folder organization	Right-click collection → `New Folder`	• Hierarchical request grouping within collections • supports nested folders for complex API structures
Bru markup language	`meta {` `name: Login` `}` `get {` `url: {{baseUrl}}/auth` `}`	• Plain-text DSL for storing API requests • human-readable format with JSON-like semantics, Git-friendly with minimal merge conflicts
Collection settings	Right-click collection → `Settings`	Configure collection-level defaults: base URL, auth, headers, scripts, client certificates, pre-request variables.
Request creation	Right-click folder → `New Request` → Select HTTP method	• Create individual API requests • supports GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, and custom HTTP methods

Table 2: Variable Types and Scopes

Type	Example	Description
Environment variables	Create env → Add `baseUrl: https://api.dev.com`	• Scoped to specific environment (local, staging, prod) • stored in collection's `environments/` folder as `.bru` files

Table 3: Request Types and Protocols

Protocol	Example	Description
REST API	`GET {{baseUrl}}/users/{{userId}}`	• Standard HTTP requests with methods GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS • supports query params, headers, body

Table 4: Request Body Formats

Format	Example	Description
JSON	`{` `"name": "{{name}}",` `"email": "{{email}}"` `}`	• Most common body format • syntax highlighting and validation • supports variable interpolation