Create Bruno API Collection

If you’re new to APIs and tools that help manage them, this guide will walk you through creating an API collection using Bruno. You’ll get a friendly overview of what Bruno is, what an API collection does, and clear, step-by-step instructions for creating one on a Windows machine.

Bruno is a developer-focused tool that helps you design, store, organize, and run API requests and workflows. Think of it as a smart clipboard and playground for HTTP requests: it stores endpoints, headers, request bodies, authentication settings, and can group related requests into collections for easier reuse and collaboration.

What is a Bruno API Collection

A Bruno API Collection is a named group of API requests and related settings (variables, environment values, etc). Collections let you:

• Organize requests by project or service (for example: “User Service” or “Payments”).
• Store authentication, common headers, and reusable request templates.
• Share the entire set of endpoints and environment variables with teammates.
• Run and test sequences of requests in a consistent environment.

Prerequisites

Before creating a collection on Windows, make sure you have:

• Bruno installed on your Windows machine.
• Basic information about the API you want to add: base URL, common endpoints, auth type (API key, OAuth, bearer token), and example request bodies.
• Optional: an API key or test credentials for authenticating requests while you build the collection.

Steps to create an API Collection

Open Bruno

Launch the Bruno application from the Start menu or its desktop shortcut. If Bruno requires signing in, use your developer/work account or a local profile as appropriate.

Create a new collection.

Click on the label  “Create Collection”, or the Create link in the collections pane.

Click it, then give your collection a clear name (for example, SampleCollection or User-Service-APIs) and choose the location for the collection.

Collection Mode

Set up environment or variables.

Create environment variables for values that change between environments (e.g., BASE_URL, API_KEY, AUTH_TOKEN). This makes switching between staging and production easy without editing each request.