Single end point REST API

Question

I want to ask question about a better way for implementing single endpoint REST.

I want to build a rest API but I want it to only have single endpoint like: graphql, where you only have like: host/graphql.

I already doing this example in laravel where you need to put a key and method to go to a certain API.

The body look like this (example of calling product API with single endpoint).

Calling get all product:

 {
 "key":"product/all",
 "method":"GET"
 }

And this is the get one (product/{id}):

 {
 "key":"product",
 "method":"GET",
 "payload":"{\"id\":\"1\"}"
 }

This is also work fine with post, put and delete.

Here is the single endpoint code (I use php laravel as example because it fast to make API):

 public function bridge(Request $request)
 {
 $host = "http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/";
 if ($request->has("payload")) {
 $bounds = html_entity_decode($request->payload);
 $payload = json_decode($bounds, true);
 }
 if (strtoupper($request->method) == "POST") {
 try {
 $url = $host . $request->key;
 $request = Request::create($url, 'POST', []);
 $response = Route::dispatch($request);
 return $response;
 } catch (\Throwable $th) {
 $data["data"] = [];
 $data["success"] = false;
 $data["code"] = 500;
 $data["message"] = $th->getMessage();
 return $data;
 }
 } else if (strtoupper($request->method) == "PUT") {
 try {
 $url = $host . $request->key . '/' . $payload['id'];
 $request = Request::create($url, 'PUT', []);
 $response = Route::dispatch($request);
 return $response;
 } catch (\Throwable $th) {
 $data["data"] = [];
 $data["success"] = false;
 $data["code"] = 500;
 $data["message"] = $th->getMessage();
 return $data;
 }
 } else if (strtoupper($request->method) == "DELETE") {
 try {
 $url = $host . $request->key . '/' . $payload['id'];
 $request = Request::create($url, 'DELETE', []);
 $response = Route::dispatch($request);
 return $response;
 } catch (\Throwable $th) {
 $data["data"] = [];
 $data["success"] = false;
 $data["code"] = 500;
 $data["message"] = $th->getMessage();
 return $data;
 }
 } else {
 $url = $host . $request->key;
 try {
 if ($request->has("payload")) {
 $url = $host . $request->key . "/" . $payload['id'];
 }
 $request = Request::create($url, 'GET');
 $response = Route::dispatch($request);
 return $response;
 } catch (\Throwable $th) {
 $data["data"] = [];
 $data["success"] = false;
 $data["code"] = 500;
 $data["message"] = $th->getMessage();
 return $data;
 }
 }
 }

As you can see there. It is calling the API twice "bridge" and the "key" API.

The cons here:

• call request twice;
• you can only put one /{id} variable (or more if you declare it).

Pros:

• it only one endpoint so it will be easy to make an api helper in the frontend (maybe XD).

Can you show me a better way of doing this? Tell me your tips and thought or maybe show some code (any language is fine).

Answer 1

I only have a few quibbling remarks:

• Don't Repeat Yourself (D.R.Y.)
  • Declare $url = $host . $request->key unconditionally at the start of your method (say, after $host). Then append text to it if/when needed $url .= '/' . $payload['id'];.
  • strtoupper($request->method) is done in each conditional expression. It is better practice to mutate the string once. You're also checking the same data for different strings, this is what switch-case blocks are for.
  • Rather than writing $data (a non-descriptive variable name) over and over, omit the variable declaration entirely and write the data directly into the return. I regularly advise against single-use variable declarations unless they valuably reduce code width or improve readability.
• else if should be elseif in PHP to comply with the PSR-12 coding standard.
• All of your thrown exceptions are handled identically, so it seems to be a much cleaner choice to wrap your whole switch block in a single try-catch block.
• Maybe you'd like to see the payload when there is a thrown exception; if so, use "data" => $payload ?? [] in the return.

Your code might be rewrite as:

public function bridge(Request $request)
{
 $host = "http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/";
 $url = $host . $request->key;
 if ($request->has("payload")) {
 $payload = json_decode(html_entity_decode($request->payload), true);
 }
 try {
 switch (strtoupper($request->method)) {
 case "POST":
 return Route::dispatch(Request::create($url, 'POST', []));
 case "PUT":
 $url .= '/' . $payload['id'];
 return Route::dispatch(Request::create($url, 'PUT', []));
 case "DELETE":
 $url .= '/' . $payload['id'];
 return Route::dispatch(Request::create($url, 'DELETE', []));
 default:
 if ($request->has("payload")) {
 $url .= "/" . $payload['id'];
 }
 return Route::dispatch(Request::create($url, 'GET'));
 }
 } catch (\Throwable $th) {
 return [
 "data" => $payload ?? [],
 "success" => false,
 "code" => 500,
 "message" => $th->getMessage(),
 ];
 }
}