Bruno vs Hurl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bruno | Hurl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,121 | ★ 19,212 |
| First released | 2023 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Postman, Insomnia | Postman, Insomnia |
What are Bruno and Hurl?
Bruno
Bruno is an open-source API client that stores collections as plain text files in your filesystem, making them version-controllable with Git. It runs fully offline as a desktop application.
- Git-friendly plain-text collections
- Fully offline operation
- No account required
- Scripting and assertions
Hurl
Hurl is an open-source command-line tool that runs HTTP requests defined in a simple plain text format. It is used for API testing and can be integrated into self-hosted CI pipelines.
- Plain text request files
- Built-in assertions
- CI friendly
- Chained requests
Bruno vs Hurl: key differences
Bruno is written in JavaScript, while Hurl is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Bruno versus Apache-2.0 for Hurl. Hurl is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Bruno. Hurl is the more established project (first released 2020), while Bruno arrived in 2023. Bruno has the considerably larger community, at 47,121 GitHub stars versus 19,212.
Why pick each one
Choose Bruno if…
- Git-friendly text collections
- Fully offline, no account
- Lightweight and fast
Watch out for
- Some features paid
- No built-in cloud sync
Choose Hurl if…
- Plain text request files
- CI-friendly and fast
- Built-in assertions
Watch out for
- No graphical interface
- Curl-style learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Bruno or Hurl better?
Neither is universally better. Bruno has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Bruno and Hurl free and open-source?
Yes. Bruno is licensed under MIT and Hurl under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bruno and Hurl with Docker?
Bruno: check the project docs for container support. Hurl: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Bruno or Hurl?
Hurl has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Bruno. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.