How to Create REST API Using Laravel

This tutorial guides users through building a complete REST API in Laravel to manage tasks. The process begins with setting up a new Laravel project and configuring the database. A tasks table is generated using a migration, and the model and controller for the task are created. API routes are defined, and CRUD methods are implemented in the TaskController. The endpoints are tested manually using a VS Code extension called REST Client, and automated tests are created to ensure each route works as expected. The tutorial covers the basic steps from project setup to creating automated tests. The project setup involves creating a new Laravel project, configuring the database, and generating the tasks table. The tasks table has columns for id, title, description, completed, and timestamps. The Task model is defined with the $fillable property set to ['title', 'description', 'completed']. The API routes are defined in the routes/api.php file, and the TaskController implements the basic CRUD methods. The methods include index, store, show, update, and destroy. The endpoints are tested manually using the REST Client extension in VS Code. Automated tests are created to ensure each route works as expected. A factory for the Task model is created, and an integration test is implemented. The test class TaskApiTest extends TestCase and uses the RefreshDatabase trait. The tests cover creating a task, listing tasks, showing a task, updating a task, and deleting a task. The tutorial concludes by running the tests using the command php artisan test.