Request Chaining

Request chaining in Bruno allows you to execute multiple requests in sequence, pass data between them, and control the flow of your API testing workflow. This powerful feature enables you to build complex test scenarios where the output of one request becomes the input for the next.

Overview

Bruno provides several methods for request chaining:

• bru.runRequest() - Execute requests within your collection
• bru.sendRequest() - Send programmatic HTTP requests
• bru.runner.setNextRequest() - Control request execution order in collection runs

bru.runRequest()

Execute any request in your collection and retrieve the response directly within your script.

Syntax

const requestResponse = await bru.runRequest(
  "absolute/path/to/a/request/from/collection/root"
);

Parameters

• requestPath: The absolute path to the request from the collection root (string)

Returns

Returns a response object containing:

• status: HTTP status code
• statusText: HTTP status text
• headers: Response headers object
• body: Response body (automatically parsed if JSON)
• responseTime: Response time in milliseconds

Examples

Basic Request Execution

// Execute a request and get the response
const response = await bru.runRequest("auth/login");
 
// Check if login was successful
if (response.status === 200) {
  const data = response.body;
  bru.setVar("authToken", data.token);
  console.log("Login successful, token saved");
} else {
  console.error("Login failed:", response.statusText);
}

bru.sendRequest()

Send a programmatic HTTP request within your script. This allows you to make additional API calls during script execution.

Syntax

await bru.sendRequest({
  method: string,
  url: string,
  headers?: object,
  data?: string | object,
  timeout?: number
}, callback)

Parameters

• method: HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.)
• url: The URL to send the request to
• headers: (Optional) Request headers object
• data: (Optional) Request data. Can be a string or object
• timeout: (Optional) Request timeout in milliseconds
• callback: Function to handle the response with signature (err, res)

Examples

Basic HTTP Request

await bru.sendRequest({
  method: 'GET',
  url: 'https://api.example.com/users',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + bru.getVar('authToken'),
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
}, function (err, res) {
  if (err) {
    console.error('Error:', err);
    return;
  }
  console.log('Users:', res.data);
  bru.setVar('users', res.data);
});

POST Request with Data

const userData = {
  name: 'John Doe',
  email: 'john@example.com'
};
 
await bru.sendRequest({
  method: 'POST',
  url: 'https://api.example.com/users',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + bru.getVar('authToken'),
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  data: userData,
  timeout: 10000
}, function (err, res) {
  if (err) {
    console.error('Error creating user:', err);
    return;
  }
  
  if (res.status === 201) {
    console.log('User created:', res.data);
    bru.setVar('newUserId', res.data.id);
  }
});

bru.runner.setNextRequest()

Control the order in which requests are executed during collection runs. This allows you to skip requests or change the execution flow based on conditions.

Syntax

bru.runner.setNextRequest("request-name");

Parameters

• requestName: The name of the next request to execute (string) or null to stop execution

How it works

• setNextRequest works with single requests - it executes the current request first, then jumps to the specified request
• It skips all requests between the current one and the target request
• The target request must exist in the collection and be specified by its exact name
• For requests inside folders: Use just the request name (e.g., “request-name”), not the full path

Examples

Conditional Request Execution

// In post-request script
const response = res.getBody();
 
if (response.status === 'active') {
  // Continue to next request
  bru.runner.setNextRequest("process-active-user");
} else if (response.status === 'inactive') {
  // Skip to different request
  bru.runner.setNextRequest("handle-inactive-user");
} else {
  // Stop execution
  bru.runner.setNextRequest(null);
}

• Use bru.runRequest() for requests within your collection (faster, uses existing configuration)
• Use bru.sendRequest() for external APIs or when you need custom request configuration
• Avoid nested loops that could cause infinite request chains