huy-tran/api-explorer-module

Self-hosted API explorer for local development

v0.0.21 2026-04-01 11:20 UTC

Requires

• php: ^8.3
• lorisleiva/laravel-actions: ^2.0
• spatie/laravel-data: ^3|^4

MIT

• Huy Tran

• api
• development
• laravel
• explorer

README

A self-hosted API explorer for local development in Laravel applications. Automatically scans and documents your API routes, actions, and DTOs.

Features

• Automatic API route discovery and documentation
• Inspect action handlers and their data structures
• View request/response schemas from DTOs and transformers
• Manage multiple environment configurations
• Per-endpoint state persistence with URL-based restoration
• Fuzzy search across all endpoints
• Fake data generation for request testing
• Dark mode support
• Zero-configuration setup for Laravel 12+ applications
• Development-only module (production disabled)

Tech Stack

Backend

• PHP 8.3+
• Laravel 12+ (module architecture)
• spatie/laravel-data ^3|^4 — DTO schemas and validation
• lorisleiva/laravel-actions ^2.0 — Action-based route handlers

Frontend

• Alpine.js 3.x — Reactive UI components
• Tailwind CSS — Utility-first styling (CDN)
• Fuse.js — Fuzzy search for endpoint filtering
• Faker.js 8.3.1 — Fake data generation for request fields
• Font Awesome 6.5.1 — Icons
• Blade — Server-side templating

All frontend assets are loaded via CDN — no build step required.

Requirements

• PHP 8.3+
• Laravel 12+
• spatie/laravel-data ^3|^4
• lorisleiva/laravel-actions ^2.0

Installation

Install the module via Composer:

composer require huy-tran/api-explorer-module

The module will be automatically registered via the service provider.

Configuration

Publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Modules\\ApiExplorer\\Providers\\ApiExplorerServiceProvider" --tag=config

This creates config/api-explorer.php:

return [
    'enabled' => env('API_EXPLORER_ENABLED', true),
    'cache' => env('API_EXPLORER_CACHE', true),
    'cache_ttl' => env('API_EXPLORER_CACHE_TTL', 86400),
    'route_prefix' => env('API_EXPLORER_ROUTE_PREFIX', 'dev/api-explorer'),
    'exclude_patterns' => [
        'boost',
        'up',
        'storage',
    ],
];

Option	Default	Description
enabled	true	Enable or disable the module
cache	true	Cache scanned API data
cache_ttl	86400	Cache time-to-live in seconds
route_prefix	dev/api-explorer	URL prefix for the explorer routes
exclude_patterns	[...]	Route patterns to exclude from scanning

The module is disabled in production and only available in development environments.

Publishing Assets

To publish views for customization:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Modules\\ApiExplorer\\Providers\\ApiExplorerServiceProvider" --tag=views

This publishes views to resources/views/vendor/api-explorer/.

Usage

Scan API Endpoints

Scan your application for API endpoints:

php artisan api-explorer:scan

This command:

• Discovers all registered routes
• Analyzes action handlers and DTOs
• Generates documentation for your API
• Caches results for performance

Clear Cache

Clear the API explorer cache:

php artisan api-explorer:clear-cache

Access the Explorer

Once enabled, visit your application's API explorer route to browse documented endpoints.

Architecture

The module uses several key components:

• RouteScanner - Discovers and analyzes Laravel routes
• ActionResolver - Inspects Laravel Action handlers
• DtoInspector - Extracts schemas from spatie/laravel-data DTOs
• EndpointPipeline - Processes and enriches endpoint information
• FieldTypeMapper - Maps PHP types to readable schema types

DTO Integration

Scalar and Enum Properties

Standard PHP types are automatically mapped to form fields:

PHP Type	Input Type
string	Text
int, float	Number
bool	Checkbox
array	Repeatable text items
mixed	Textarea
Carbon, DateTime	Datetime picker
UploadedFile	File upload
BackedEnum	Select dropdown
Nested Data class	Expandable group

Eloquent Model Properties

Eloquent model parameters in DTOs are automatically rendered as body ID fields using a convention-based key derived from the class name:

Model class	Auto-derived key	Input type
Client	clientId	number
ClientProject	clientProjectId	number
DocumentChunk	documentChunkId	number

No annotation is required for the common case:

class CreateDocumentData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        #[Required]
        public Project $project,   // → projectId (number), auto-derived

        #[Required]
        public string $title,
    ) {}
}

Overriding with #[BodyField]

Use #[BodyField] when the default key or input type doesn't fit:

use Modules\ApiExplorer\Attributes\BodyField;

class CreateDocumentData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        #[BodyField('externalRef', 'text')] // UUID key, text input
        public SomeModel $ref,

        #[BodyField('parentId')]            // custom key name
        public Project $project,
    ) {}
}

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
$key	string	—	The field name sent in the request body
$inputType	string	'number'	Input type rendered in the UI. Use 'text' for UUID-keyed models

Environment Management

Store and switch between multiple API environments:

• Save environment configurations
• Switch between development, staging, and production endpoints
• Store authentication tokens and custom headers per environment

License

This module is licensed under the MIT License.

Author

Huy Tran - [e-mail]