This course is designed to teach you how to build RESTful APIs using the Laravel PHP framework. You will learn the fundamentals of API development, including authentication, routing, data validation, and best practices for building scalable and secure APIs.

Prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of PHP and web development
• Familiarity with Laravel (basic understanding is beneficial but not required)

Course Duration: 10-12 weeks (adjustable based on the pace of the class)

Course Outline:

Week 1: Introduction to RESTful APIs

• What is RESTful API?
• Understanding HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
• Introduction to Laravel as a PHP framework
• Setting up a development environment

Week 2: Laravel Basics

• Installing Laravel
• Understanding the Laravel directory structure
• Creating your first Laravel project

Week 3: Routing and Controllers

• Creating routes in Laravel
• Controllers and actions
• Handling HTTP requests and responses

Week 4: Database Integration

• Database setup and configuration
• Migrations and seeding
• CRUD operations with Laravel's Eloquent ORM

Week 5: API Fundamentals

• RESTful principles and constraints
• Designing API endpoints
• JSON data format and serialization

Week 6: Authentication and Authorization

• User authentication with Laravel Passport
• OAuth2 and token-based authentication
• Securing API routes and resources

Week 7: Data Validation and Error Handling

• Request validation in Laravel
• Handling validation errors
• Proper error responses in JSON

Week 8: Testing and Debugging

• Writing unit tests for your API
• Debugging and error handling
• Using Postman for API testing

Week 9: API Versioning and Documentation

• Managing API versions
• Generating API documentation with tools like Swagger or Laravel API Documentation Generator

Week 10: Advanced Topics

• Rate limiting and throttling
• Pagination and filtering
• Handling file uploads

Week 11: Best Practices and Optimization

• Code organization and best practices
• Caching and performance optimization
• Monitoring and logging

Week 12: Deployment and Scaling

• Deploying Laravel API to production
• Scaling and load balancing
• Server maintenance and security

Final Project:

• Students will work on a real-world project to create a RESTful API from scratch, implement authentication, validation, and documentation, and deploy it to a hosting environment.

Assessments:

• Weekly assignments and quizzes
• Midterm project (develop a basic REST API)
• Final project (develop a fully functional REST API with documentation and deployment)

Resources:

• Laravel documentation
• Online tutorials and articles
• Recommended readings and references

Please note that the course duration, specific topics covered, and the order of the weeks can be adjusted based on the level of the students and the pace of learning. Additionally, hands-on coding exercises and real-world projects should be an integral part of the course to ensure students gain practical experience in building RESTful APIs with Laravel