Advanced PHP · Lesson 8 of 10

PHP APIs

Build an API endpoint that validates input and returns structured JSON.

Lesson

An API exposes application operations through a defined request and response contract. Validate method, content type, authentication, authorization, and request data. Return appropriate HTTP status codes and a stable JSON shape; do not expose internal exceptions, credentials, or database details. This response sets the JSON content type before encoding a small result. Further guidance Make failure behavior explicit at system boundaries: validate decoded data, handle expected exceptions, and log diagnostics without exposing them to visitors. Keep dependencies locked and current, use a consistent namespace/autoloading scheme, and test error paths as well as successful responses. Practice task: Create a fresh example for PHP APIs. Predict the result before running it, then change one input and explain why the result changes. Test a normal case and one boundary or invalid case where it applies. Compare your output with the example and note one rule you would use in a real project.

Code examples

PHP APIs

PHP

header('Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8');
echo json_encode(['data' => ['status' => 'ready']], JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR);

Expected output

{"data":{"status":"ready"}}

Key points

Build an API endpoint that validates input and returns structured JSON.
Handle expected errors explicitly without exposing diagnostics.
Keep dependency and runtime configuration reproducible.

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