API Platform

API Platform

API Platform is an open-source PHP framework to build modern web APIs. It allows creating hypermedia and GraphQL APIs in minutes using entities and annotations. It handles API resources validation, serialization, filtering, pagination, CORS, etc. out of the box.
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php api rest graphql

API Platform: Open-Source PHP Framework for Modern Web APIs

API Platform is an open-source PHP framework to build modern web APIs. It allows creating hypermedia and GraphQL APIs in minutes using entities and annotations. It handles API resources validation, serialization, filtering, pagination, CORS, etc. out of the box.

What is API Platform?

API Platform is an open-source PHP framework designed specifically for building modern web APIs. Some key features include:

  • It allows creating hypermedia and GraphQL APIs using entities and annotations, without writing code. This speeds up API development significantly.
  • It automatically handles many common API features like validation, serialization (to JSON-LD, HAL, JSONAPI, YAML, etc.), filtering, sorting, pagination, CORS, etc.
  • It follows web API best practices with support for HTTP verbs, HATEOAS links for hypermedia formats like JSON-LD and HAL, content negotiation, OAuth and JWT authentication, versioning, etc.
  • It integrates with popular PHP frameworks like Symfony and client-side technologies like React, Vue.js, etc.
  • It has Schema.org and JSON Schema support for semantics and documentation. It automatically generates beautiful interactive API documentation using OpenAPI (Swagger) spec.
  • It has a powerful data persistence system using data providers and schema generators, supporting relational and NoSQL databases as well as static dummy data.
  • It has a flexible system using events, middleware and plugins, allowing extending and customizing any part.

API Platform Features

Features

  1. API resource modeling with entities and annotations
  2. Built-in serializers for JSON-LD, Hydra, JSONAPI, HAL, YAML, XML, CSV
  3. Validation through Symfony Validator
  4. Pagination
  5. Filtering
  6. Sorting
  7. Data caching
  8. API versioning
  9. OAuth and JWT authentication
  10. GraphQL support
  11. API documentation generation

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Rapid API development

Built-in features reduce boilerplate code

Flexibility to customize and extend

Great documentation

Active community

Cons

Steep learning curve for some advanced features

Configurations can get complex for large projects

Limited UI for API management and analytics


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