# Bruno > Git-native, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain text files for version control. Canonical: https://www.findalternate.com/bruno Last updated: 2026-09-11 Git-native, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain text files for version control. ## Key facts - **Website:** https://www.usebruno.com/ - **Category:** Developer Tools - **Pricing:** FREE - **Platforms:** Windows, macOS, Linux - **Launched:** 2026-06-29 - **Maker:** adi - **Likes:** 0 - **Points:** 0 - **Comments:** 0 ## Key features - Git-Friendly Collection Storage: Stores API requests as plain-text Bru markup files directly in your repository folder alongside code. - 100% Offline-First Architecture: Operates entirely locally on your machine without mandatory cloud accounts or remote synchronization. - Human-Readable Bru DSL: Defines HTTP requests, headers, query parameters, and assertions in an intuitive, clean text format. - JavaScript Scripting and Assertions: Executes pre-request and post-response JavaScript scripts with automated response assertions. - Bruno CLI for CI/CD: Runs API test collections and automated regression checks directly within continuous integration pipelines. ## Recommended for Software engineers, API developers, and QA teams seeking a lightweight, Git-native, offline-first API client that stores request collections as plain text files alongside application codebases. ## Pros and cons Pros: - Plain-text, Git-friendly files eliminate vendor cloud lock-in and merge conflicts. - Entirely offline-first operation protects sensitive credentials and internal API designs. - Fast, lightweight native application with minimal memory and system resource overhead. Cons: - Newer ecosystem with fewer enterprise collaboration features than established competitors. - Public documentation sharing and cloud mock server features are less mature than Postman. ## Tags api, testing, git ## Alternates - [k6](https://www.findalternate.com/k6): Open-source, developer-centric load testing tool for API and performance testing. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [SwaggerHub](https://www.findalternate.com/swaggerhub): Design-first API platform for building, documenting, and governing APIs using the OpenAPI spec. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [Insomnia](https://www.findalternate.com/insomnia): Open-source API client from Kong supporting REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSockets. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [VirtuProbe Studio](https://www.findalternate.com/virtuprobe-studio): Cross-protocol request workbench for integration and penetration testing. 11 protocols, local-first, no account needed. Put your tests together on your own or supervise your agent helping you achieve your goals via MCP. Chain your tests or script your scenarios in JS or Groovy. Free tier covers HTTP, DNS and SMTP testing. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [Reqit](https://www.findalternate.com/reqit): Reqit is a local-first, git-native API client built for developers who want their API collections to live alongside their code instead of locked away in someone else's cloud. Every collection is stored as plain files in your repo, so requests, environments, and test suites version naturally with git: diffable, mergeable, and reviewable just like any other part of your codebase. Beyond the basics of sending requests and organizing collections, reqit includes a mock server for simulating endpoints during development, a Collection Runner with assertions for automated testing, and full OpenAPI import/export so you can move in and out of existing specs without friction. It supports mTLS client certificate authentication for teams working with secured internal APIs, and a BYOK (bring-your-own-key) AI layer that lets you plug in OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, or Ollama for AI-assisted workflows inside the app. For teams building AI agents, reqit ships with its own MCP server, exposing your API collections as tools an agent can call directly, plus Agent Lens, a linter and eval workbench that checks whether your API surface is actually "tool-ready" for agentic use. Collections can also be published via Collection Showcase, with support for custom domains, making it easy to share polished, browsable API documentation without standing up separate infrastructure. The whole experience is wrapped in a distinctive visual identity, deep blacks accented with a signature cyan, giving reqit a sharp, focused feel that stands apart from the cluttered, cloud-first tools it's meant to replace. At its core, reqit is about giving developers ownership: your API workflows shouldn't be trapped in a vendor's database. They should be yours, versioned, portable, and as hackable as the rest of your stack. — FREE, 0 likes - [Hoppscotch](https://www.findalternate.com/hoppscotch): Lightweight, open-source API client that runs entirely in the browser with zero installation. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [Thunder Client](https://www.findalternate.com/thunder-client): Lightweight REST API client that lives directly inside the VS Code extension marketplace. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [HTTPie](https://www.findalternate.com/httpie): Developer-friendly command-line HTTP client with intuitive syntax and colorized output. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [Postman](https://www.findalternate.com/postman): The most widely used API platform for building, testing, and documenting REST and GraphQL APIs. — FREEMIUM, 0 likes - [geogit](https://www.findalternate.com/geogit): sdfghj ghjg hjg hg hg hhj — PREMIUM, 0 likes ## Related - [Developer Tools category](https://www.findalternate.com/category/developer-tools) - [Compare Bruno and k6](https://www.findalternate.com/compare/bruno-vs-k6) - [FindAlternate homepage](https://www.findalternate.com/)