How to Structure and Simplify API Responses with Laravel API Resources

Laravel API Resources give a simple way to structure and format the data. This makes it easy to control exactly what information is returned, which can save time and make responses cleaner.

Step 1: Create an API Resource

First, generate a resource for your model. Let's use a Post model as an example.

php artisan make:resource PostResource
//This creates a PostResource.php file in App\Http\Resources.

Step 2: Define Data Structure in Resource

Open PostResource.php and define the data structure you want to return.

<?php

namespace App\Http\Resources;

use Illuminate\Http\Resources\Json\JsonResource;

class PostResource extends JsonResource
{
    public function toArray($request)
    {
        return [
            'id' => $this->id,
            'title' => $this->title,
            'content' => $this->content,
            'author' => $this->user->name,
            'created_at' => $this->created_at->toDateString(),
        ];
    }
}

Here, we’re only returning specific fields: id, title, content, author, and created_at.

Step 3: Use Resource in Controller

Return this resource from your controller to format the response.

use App\Http\Resources\PostResource;
use App\Models\Post;

class PostController extends Controller
{
    public function show($id)
    {
        $post = Post::findOrFail($id);
        return new PostResource($post);
    }
}

Resulting JSON Response

When you call this API, you'll get a formatted JSON response:

{
    "data": {
        "id": 1,
        "title": "Sample Post",
        "content": "This is the content of the post.",
        "author": "John Doe",
        "created_at": "2024-10-26"
    }
}

Laravel API Resources help keep API responses clean and structured, making it easier to manage what data gets sent to clients. Use them to control and format output effectively.