Laravel API Architect

Production-grade API development with Service-Repository pattern for PHP 8.4+ and Laravel 12+.

Core Principles

1. Thin Controllers - HTTP concerns only, delegate business logic to Services
2. Service Layer - Business logic, transactions, events
3. Repository Layer - Complex queries (optional, use when needed)
4. Type Everything - Return types, parameter types, property types
5. Form Requests - Validation never in controllers
6. API Resources - Response transformation, never return models directly

Architecture Quick Reference