Skip to content

OAuth 2.0 Authentication in Bruno

This document describes the OAuth 2 implementation available in Bruno. This approach simplifies authentication handling with automatic token management and flexible configuration options.

Want to learn or brush up on OAuth 2? Read more about it here: https://blog.usebruno.com/what-is-oauth-2.0-oauth-2-explained-for-developers

Try it out

Explore the oauth-keycloak sample collections for real-world OAuth2 flows to walk through each grant type step by step:

Overview

Bruno supports OAuth 2 authentication at collection, folder and request levels:

  • Collection Level: Configure once and share across all requests in the collection
  • Folder Level: Configure for a specific folder and share across all requests within that folder
  • Request Level: Configure for individual requests, providing maximum flexibility

Features & Improvements

  1. Simplified Configuration: You no longer need to separately configure authorization and resource requests
  2. Automatic Token Management: No scripting is required to set headers for the resource URL
  3. Automatic Token Injection: Bruno automatically adds the token to request headers or parameters based on your configuration
  4. Token Data Access: Access token data using variables: {{$oauth2.<tokenId>.access_token}} within the collection
  5. Auto-fetch and Auto-refresh: Bruno can automatically fetch new tokens when needed and refresh tokens when they expire, providing a seamless authentication experience

Auto-fetch and Auto-refresh

Bruno includes two powerful token management features:

  • Auto-fetch: Automatically fetches a new token when you try to access a protected resource and don't have a valid token
  • Auto-refresh: Automatically refreshes your token using the refresh URL when it expires

These settings can be configured separately for each OAuth2 implementation and help streamline your API testing workflow by reducing manual token management tasks.

OAuth2 Auto-fetch and Auto-refresh settings

System Browser Support

Bruno now supports OAuth 2.0 authentication using your system browser. This provides:

  • Familiar UX: Use your default browser with saved passwords and extensions
  • Better Compatibility: Enhanced support for OAuth providers that block embedded browsers
  • Enhanced Security: Leverage your browser's security features

Learn more about System Browser Support

Accessing OAuth2 Tokens in Scripts

You can access OAuth2 tokens in your scripts using the bru.getOauth2CredentialVar() function.

Syntax

bru.getOauth2CredentialVar('$oauth2.<Token ID>.access_token')

Resetting OAuth2 Credentials

Use bru.resetOauth2Credential(credentialId) to programmatically clear existing OAuth2 credentials and trigger a fresh authentication cycle.

bru.resetOauth2Credential("my-credential-id");

Multiple requests can share the same credentialId. Resetting a credential ID will clear the credentials for all requests that use it.

Example — refresh on 401 Unauthorized:

if (res.getStatus() === 401) {
  bru.resetOauth2Credential("my-credential-id");
  console.log("OAuth2 credentials reset, fresh token will be fetched on next request");
}

For the full list of OAuth2 scripting APIs, see the JavaScript API Reference.

Resources