How to Build a Simple REST API with Laravel 10 in 15 Minutes

How to Build a Simple REST API with Laravel 10 in 15 Minutes

Introduction

Are you a beginner Laravel developer eager to build your first REST API? Laravel 10 makes it easier than ever to set up a fast, elegant, and powerful API with minimal effort.

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to create a simple RESTful API in just 15 minutes. By the end, you’ll be able to fetch, create, update, and delete data using Laravel’s built-in tools

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following:

• PHP >= 8.1
• Composer
• Laravel 10 installed
• MySQL or SQLite
• Postman (or any API testing tool)

Step 1: Create a New Laravel Project

Open your terminal and run:

composer create-project laravel/laravel laravel-api-demo

Navigate into the project:

cd laravel-api-demo

Step 2: Set Up the Database

Edit the .env file and configure your database

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=api_demo
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Then run:

php artisan migrate

Step 3: Create a Model and Migration

Let’s create a simple Post model:

php artisan make:model Post -m

In the migration file (database/migrations/..._create_posts_table.php), define the schema:

public function up(): void
{
    Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('title');
        $table->text('body');
        $table->timestamps();
    });
}

Run the migration:

php artisan migrate

Step 4: Create a Controller

php artisan make:controller PostController --api

Inside PostController.php, add basic CRUD methods:

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

class PostController extends Controller
{
    public function index() {
        return Post::all();
    }

    public function store(Request $request) {
        $validated = $request->validate([
            'title' => 'required|string',
            'body' => 'required|string',
        ]);

        return Post::create($validated);
    }

    public function show($id) {
        return Post::findOrFail($id);
    }

    public function update(Request $request, $id) {
        $post = Post::findOrFail($id);
        $post->update($request->all());
        return $post;
    }

    public function destroy($id) {
        Post::destroy($id);
        return response()->json(['message' => 'Deleted']);
    }
}

Step 5: Define API Routes

Open routes/api.php and add:

use App\Http\Controllers\PostController;

Route::apiResource('posts', PostController::class);

Now your API is ready to handle:

GET /api/posts — List all posts

POST /api/posts — Create a new post

GET /api/posts/{id} — Show a single post

PUT/PATCH /api/posts/{id} — Update a post

DELETE /api/posts/{id} — Delete a post

Step 6: Test Your API

Use Postman or Insomnia to test your endpoints.

Example POST request to /api/posts

{
  "title": "Hello Laravel",
  "body": "This is my first API post!"
}

Bonus: Add CORS Support

To allow cross-origin requests (e.g. from a frontend app):

Install Laravel CORS (already included in Laravel 10)

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="cors"

Then, configure config/cors.php to allow all origins (or specific ones).

Conclusion

You just built a fully functional REST API in Laravel 10 in under 15 minutes! This is a perfect foundation for more advanced features like authentication, pagination, and relationships.

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