> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bruno-a6972042-docs-restructure-by-product-sidebar.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Client

The Bruno API Client is the desktop app you use to build, send, and organize API requests. Collections are stored as plain text files on your filesystem, so you can version them with Git and review API changes like code.

New to Bruno? Start with the [Bruno Starter Guide](/introduction/quick-start), or [download the app](/get-started/bruno-basics/download) if you haven't installed it yet.

## What's in the API Client

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send Requests" icon="paper-plane" href="/send-requests/overview">
    Build and send REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, and SOAP requests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Variables" icon="brackets-curly" href="/variables/overview">
    Reuse values across environments, collections, folders, and requests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/auth/overview">
    Configure Basic, Bearer, OAuth 2.0, AWS Signature, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Testing & Scripting" icon="code" href="/testing/tests/introduction">
    Write assertions and pre-request or post-response scripts in JavaScript.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Secret Management" icon="key" href="/secrets-management/overview">
    Keep credentials out of version control with secret variables and vaults.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Git & Collaboration" icon="code-branch" href="/git-integration/overview">
    Share collections with your team through your existing Git workflow.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The rest of Bruno

The API Client is one of four parts of Bruno. The others read the same collection files, so work you do in one carries over to the others.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" href="/bru-cli/overview">
    Run the same collections from the command line and in CI/CD.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Docs" icon="book" href="/api-docs/overview">
    Document your APIs and generate shareable documentation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="VS Code Extension" icon="code" href="/vs-code-extension/overview">
    Open and send requests without leaving your editor.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>