Bruno Talk - IndiaFoss 3.0 Conference

Summary

Anoop MD, creator of Bruno—an open-source API client—presented at a conference, highlighting its unique features like offline functionality and file system-based collection storage. Bruno gained significant traction with 7,000 GitHub Stars, offering a new paradigm in API testing and exploration. Anoop demonstrated the software's capabilities, emphasizing its simplicity and local-first approach, which differentiates it from competitors like Postman and Insomnia. The talk concluded with a live launch of Bruno's 1.0.0 version, signifying its readiness for production use.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Anoop MD, the creator of Bruno, an open-source API client, has gained significant attention with a recent surge in GitHub Stars, reaching 7,000 stars.
• 🔍 Bruno is designed for exploring and testing APIs, with standout features like offline functionality, Git collaboration, and file system-based collection storage.
• 🎯 Bruno differentiates itself from competitors like Postman and Insomnia by storing collections as files and folders, allowing for a local-first approach.
• 🚀 Bruno's architecture is built on ReactJS, NextJS, Tailwind for CSS, Redux for state management, and Electron for the desktop application framework.
• 📈 The project experienced exponential growth, going from 500 to 5,000 GitHub Stars in 10 days, and then to 7,000, driven by a shift in the API client market.
• 💼 Anoop, who has a day job as a tech lead and co-founder of a salon software company, developed Bruno out of passion to solve developers' needs.
• 🔧 Bruno's file system integration allows for real-time updates between the application and the local file system, mirroring the experience of code editors like VS Code.
• 📝 The Brew markup language used in Bruno is abstracted from the main application, allowing future versions to support JSON, YAML, or TOML.
• 💡 Bruno's scripting capabilities are advanced, allowing users to install any npm package and use it within collection scripts, a feature unique to Bruno.
• 🔑 Bruno's simplicity is a core value, focusing on the essentials for API clients without bloat, aiming to meet the needs of 99% of developers.

Q & A

What is Bruno and what does it do?

Bruno is an open-source IDE for exploring and testing APIs. It allows users to store collections as files, use git for collaboration, and operates fully offline without any server component or cloud sync.

What are some standout features of Bruno?

Bruno's standout features include offline functionality, git collaboration, and file system-based collection storage. It also supports scripting with the ability to install any npm package and organize scripts within the collection.

How did Bruno gain significant attention on GitHub?

Bruno gained attention when two major API clients forced their users to adopt cloud-based solutions, leading to dissatisfaction among developers. This prompted them to look for alternatives, and Bruno's features and open-source nature attracted them, resulting in a surge of GitHub Stars.

What is the significance of the Brew markup language in Bruno?

The Brew markup language is used to store request details in Bruno. It allows all request information, including headers, authentication, and scripts, to be saved in a file, which is then mirrored as a set of folders and files within the system.

How does Bruno's architecture differ from other API clients like Postman and Insomnia?

Bruno's architecture is designed to be file system-based, with no cloud sync, and it uses local storage for collections. It separates the application layer from the file system layer, allowing changes in the file system to reflect back in the application in real-time.

What is the role of Redux in Bruno's state management?

Redux is used in Bruno for managing the state of the application, such as which tabs are open or the results of requests. It follows the typical Redux pattern where views dispatch actions that are processed by reducers to update the state stored in the Redux store.

How does Bruno handle file system changes and updates?

Bruno uses the chokidar library to monitor the file system for changes. When a new file is created or an existing file is modified, the changes are reflected back in the application, allowing for a dynamic and real-time update of the collection.

What is the significance of the 'local-first' approach in Bruno's design?

The 'local-first' approach in Bruno emphasizes storing all data locally and making the file system the central store for collections. This approach allows for offline functionality and git-based collaboration, which are key features of Bruno.

What is Bruno's stance on VC funding and monetization?

Bruno's creator, Anoop, has expressed a preference for not seeking VC funding for the API client. Instead, they plan to offer a professional or 'golden edition' with additional features at an affordable cost to ensure sustainability and incentives for the creators.

Why did Anoop choose the name 'Bruno' for the project?

Anoop was inspired by the tradition of naming software projects after people, as seen with Linux and Git. He chose the name Bruno in honor of a special person, reflecting the personal connection creators can have with their projects.

What is the significance of the 1.0.0 release for Bruno?

The 1.0.0 release signifies that Bruno is production-ready and stable enough for teams to use. It is a milestone that indicates the software has reached a level of maturity and functionality that meets the needs of most developers.