The key steps to building a RESTful API with PHP are as follows: 1. Design a clear routing structure, which can be implemented by parsing URLs and HTTP methods or using frameworks (such as Slim, Lumen); 2. Use JSON as the data format and set the correct response status code (such as 200, 201, 400, 404, 500); 3. Strengthen data verification and security, use preprocessing statements to prevent SQL injection, and consider adding an identity authentication mechanism (such as JWT or API Key) to ensure that the interface is safe and reliable.
It is actually not difficult to build a RESTful API with PHP. As long as you understand the basic request processing process and structural design principles, you can quickly implement it. The core is to organize the routing, process HTTP methods, and return appropriate JSON format data.

Design a clear routing structure
PHP itself is a traditional scripting language, and does not have a powerful routing system built in like Node.js, but you can manually handle $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']
or use lightweight frameworks such as Slim, Lumen to simplify routing management.

For example, if you have a /api/users
interface, it must support GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE:
- GET /api/users → Get user list
- POST /api/users → Create a new user
- GET /api/users/1 → Get the user with ID 1
- PUT /api/users/1 → Update user information
- DELETE /api/users/1 → Delete user
You can decide which controller method to call by parsing the URL path and HTTP method.

Tips: If you don't want to introduce a framework, you can write a simple router yourself and judge the path and method based on
parse_url()
andswitch
.
Use appropriate data format and response status code
The most common data format for RESTful API is JSON. PHP provides json_encode()
and json_decode()
functions, which are very convenient to convert.
Also, remember to set the correct HTTP response status code, such as:
- 200 OK → Successfully obtained resources
- 201 Created → Successfully created resource
- 400 Bad Request → Request parameter error
- 404 Not Found → Resource not found
- 500 Internal Server Error → Server Internal Error
Before output, it is best to add a header:
header("Content-Type: application/json");
This way the client knows how to parse your return content.
Data verification and security cannot be ignored
Many people only focus on functions when writing interfaces, ignoring input verification and security protection. for example:
- Are the fields submitted by the user empty?
- Is SQL injection filtering done?
- Are access frequency restricted?
For database operations, it is recommended to use PDO or MySQLi preprocessing statements to prevent injection attacks. For example:
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (?, ?)"); $stmt->execute([$name, $email]);
In addition, consider adding authentication mechanisms (such as JWT or API Key), especially when it comes to sensitive data or user permissions.
Basically that's it. The key to writing a RESTful API in PHP is to have clear structure and clear logic, and it can be completed without too complex tools. Of course, if the project gets bigger, it is recommended to use a framework to improve efficiency and maintainability.
The above is the detailed content of How to build a RESTful API with PHP?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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