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(),
                ];
     }
}