API responses

What it is

Responses contain a status, headers, and a body.

When to use it

Return a consistent contract and meaningful status codes.

Syntax

return response()->json(["id" => $order->id], 201);

Example

return response()->json([
    "error" => ["code" => "conflict", "message" => "Order is already settled"],
], 409);
// Deletion without a response body:
return response()->noContent();

Common mistakes

A 204 response must not contain JSON; do not return 200 for every failure.

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