How to Create a REST API in Laravel

Laravel makes it easy to build RESTful APIs using its powerful routing and Eloquent ORM.
You can create APIs by defining routes in api.php, creating controllers, and using models for database interaction.
Laravel’s apiResource automatically sets up CRUD routes.
Data can be returned as JSON using Laravel’s response helpers.
Authentication can be added with Sanctum or Passport for secure API access.

Step-by-Step: Create REST API in Laravel

Step 1: Create a New Laravel Project (if not already)

Put this comment in your project terminal:


composer create-project laravel/laravel laravel-api
cd laravel-api

Step 2: Create a Migration and Model

Let’s say we’re building an API for Products.

Put this comment in your project terminal:


php artisan make:model Product -m

Then edit the migration file:

database/migrations/xxxx_xx_xx_create_products_table.php


// database/migrations/xxxx_xx_xx_create_products_table.php
public function up()
{
    Schema::create('products', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('name');
        $table->text('description')->nullable();
        $table->decimal('price', 8, 2);
        $table->timestamps();
    });
}

Run the migration:

Put this comment in your project terminal:


php artisan migrate

Step 3: Create a Controller

Put this comment in your project terminal:


php artisan make:controller API/ProductController --api

This will create a resource controller with methods like index, store, show, update, destroy.

Step 4: Define API Routes

Edit routes/api.php:


use App\Http\Controllers\API\ProductController;

Route::apiResource('products', ProductController::class);

Step 5: Implement Controller Methods

Edit app/Http/Controllers/API/ProductController.php:


use App\Models\Product;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        return response()->json(Product::all(), 200);
    }

    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        $validated = $request->validate([
            'name' => 'required',
            'description' => 'nullable',
            'price' => 'required|numeric',
        ]);

        $product = Product::create($validated);
        return response()->json($product, 201);
    }

    public function show($id)
    {
        $product = Product::find($id);
        if (!$product) return response()->json(['message' => 'Not Found'], 404);
        return response()->json($product, 200);
    }

    public function update(Request $request, $id)
    {
        $product = Product::find($id);
        if (!$product) return response()->json(['message' => 'Not Found'], 404);

        $product->update($request->all());
        return response()->json($product, 200);
    }

    public function destroy($id)
    {
        $product = Product::find($id);
        if (!$product) return response()->json(['message' => 'Not Found'], 404);

        $product->delete();
        return response()->json(['message' => 'Deleted'], 200);
    }
}

Don’t forget to allow mass assignment:

app/Models/Product.php


// app/Models/Product.php
protected $fillable = ['name', 'description', 'price'];

Test API Endpoints

Use Postman or CURL:

GET /api/products – List all products
POST /api/products – Create product
GET /api/products/{id} – Get single product
PUT /api/products/{id} – Update product
DELETE /api/products/{id} – Delete product

Happy Coders