- How do I install jenky/api-error in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer using composer require jenky/api-error, then follow the README for any service provider registration or exception handler wiring it requires. Publish the package config if it exposes one so you can review the error codes, messages and HTTP status mappings before they reach clients. Because the package is pre-1.0, pin the exact version (0.3.1) instead of using a caret constraint such as ^0.3.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does jenky/api-error support?
- The composer.json file is the source of truth here, so check its illuminate/* constraints and PHP floor before adding it to your app. Even when a package states support for a Laravel major, exception handler internals shift between releases, so confirm behavior on your app's actual Laravel minor. Match the PHP requirement against your runtime and CI matrix rather than assuming compatibility from the package description.
- Does jenky/api-error replace or decorate Laravel's default exception handler?
- The package integrates with Laravel's exception handler to render structured JSON error payloads, but the practical question is whether it fully replaces the default handler or wraps it. That distinction determines which framework exceptions keep their native treatment and which get reshaped into the package envelope. Read the source and probe a failing route in a non-production branch before committing to the contract.
- How does jenky/api-error handle validation, authentication, authorization and throttling exceptions?
- The package promises automatic rendering of exceptions and validation failures into structured JSON with meaningful codes and messages. Verify each framework-native case individually: ValidationException (422), AuthenticationException (401), AuthorizationException (403), ThrottleRequestsException (429), plus 404 and 500 responses. Unshaped fall-through for any of these is the dominant integration risk, since clients would then see mixed error formats.
- Can I customize the error codes, messages and HTTP status codes in jenky/api-error?
- Yes, the package advertises customizable error codes, messages and HTTP status codes, typically through a publishable configuration file. Treat the resulting envelope as a contract with your API consumers and document it, because any later change to codes, keys or status mappings is a breaking change for shipped clients. Version and communicate envelope changes the same way you would any other public API change.
- Will jenky/api-error leak stack traces or SQL fragments in production?
- Error renderers are a common source of information disclosure, so verify rather than assume. Test with APP_DEBUG=false and confirm that internal identifiers, SQL fragments and traces are suppressed while only safe codes and messages reach the response body. Any debug-mode detail should be gated on app.debug and never emitted on public endpoints.
- Is jenky/api-error safe to use in production even though it is pre-1.0?
- It is usable, but treat it as a critical-path dependency: 0.x semver permits breaking changes in minor bumps, so pin 0.3.1 exactly and re-review every 0.4, 0.5 and beyond. It also sits in the exception handler, a path every failing request traverses, and it is maintained by a single author, which is real bus-factor exposure. Adopt on the strength of the code and tests rather than on the changelog, and keep a fallback rendering path in mind.
- How should I test that the JSON error envelope is consistent across endpoints?
- Write feature tests that assert the JSON shape, keys and status codes for each failure class: validation 422, unauthenticated 401, forbidden 403, throttled 429, missing resource 404 and unhandled 500. Assert on stable fields like code and message rather than exact prose so tests survive message tweaks. During migration, run the new envelope behind a config toggle or header and verify both shapes in parallel before retiring the legacy one.
- What are the alternatives to jenky/api-error for consistent API error responses in Laravel?
- You can achieve much of this with Laravel's own rendering hooks, such as a render method on a base exception class or renderable callbacks registered in the exception handler. Response macros, a custom handler override, or another community error-formatting package are also options. If your clients already consume an in-house error contract, extending it is usually safer than swapping in a pre-1.0 envelope.
- How is jenky/api-error maintained, and what changed in version 0.3.1?
- The package is maintained by a single author, so review activity and issue responsiveness matter as much as the code. Version 0.3.1 was a patch whose only artifact was an auto-generated changelog comparison link, with no described fix, migration note or dependency change. Read the actual 0.3.0 to 0.3.1 diff and the package source to see whether runtime code, handler behavior, config defaults or documentation was touched.