Api Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the split package (only if you are not already using netflex/framework, which includes it):

   composer require netflex/api
   

   Check composer.json for PHP/Laravel constraints. If you need the full Netflex framework, install netflex/framework instead and do not add this package separately.

2. Look first at:

   • README.md (often minimal for subtree splits)
   • src/ for the client class, service provider, facade, and config file
   • The parent repository netflex/framework for docs, issues, and changelogs
   • config/ or src/Config.php for credential names and base URI settings

3. Configure credentials in .env and publish/merge config if the package provides it:

   NETFLEX_API_URL=https://api.netflexapp.com
   NETFLEX_API_KEY=your-token
   

   // config/netflex-api.php (example shape; confirm names in src/)
   return [
       'base_uri' => env('NETFLEX_API_URL'),
       'api_key'  => env('NETFLEX_API_KEY'),
       'timeout'  => 10,
   ];
   

4. First use case: authenticate and fetch a single collection/resource to verify connectivity:

   use Netflex\API\Facades\API; // confirm exact facade/namespace in src/
   
   $response = API::get('/products', ['limit' => 5]);
   dump($response);
   

   If there is no facade, resolve the client from the container:

   $client = app(\Netflex\API\Client::class);
   

5. Run a smoke test in php artisan tinker before building features. Confirm the service provider is auto-discovered (php artisan package:discover) and that config caching works (php artisan config:cache).

Implementation Patterns

• Inject the client, don’t scatter facades. Bind the API client in a repository or service, then inject that service into controllers/jobs. This keeps tests mockable and avoids facade coupling:

  final class ProductRepository
  {
      public function __construct(private \Netflex\API\Client $api) {}
  
      public function find(int $id): array
      {
          return $this->api->get("/products/{$id}");
      }
  }
  

• Wrap API calls in domain-specific methods. Avoid leaking raw endpoints and query arrays throughout the app. Return DTOs or typed arrays so API changes are localized.

• Use Laravel’s HTTP client or Guzzle middleware for cross-cutting concerns if the package exposes its underlying handler. Add logging, retries, and correlation IDs:

  $client->withMiddleware(
      new \GuzzleHttp\Middleware::log($logger, new \GuzzleHttp\MessageFormatter('{method} {url} {code}'))
  );
  

• Handle pagination explicitly. Most Netflex API endpoints are paginated. Create a small iterator or use the package’s pagination helpers if available; do not assume a single response contains all records.

• Cache read-heavy resources with Laravel’s cache and short TTLs, keyed by endpoint + query + tenant/environment:

  $key = 'netflex:products:'.md5(json_encode($query));
  return Cache::remember($key, now()->addMinutes(5), fn () => $repo->search($query));
  

• Isolate environment/tenant configuration. If you support multiple Netflex sites or environments, resolve base URI and credentials per tenant via a config service rather than hard-coding them in the client binding.

• Test with a fake client. Bind a fake implementation of your repository or use Guzzle’s MockHandler to assert request paths, headers, and retry behavior. Never hit the live API in CI.

• Use jobs for writes and bulk operations. Wrap create/update/delete calls in queued jobs with idempotency keys where the API supports them. This prevents request timeouts from breaking user flows.

• Log request IDs and response codes. Netflex support will usually ask for the request ID or timestamp. Add a middleware that logs method, URL, status, and duration at debug level.

Gotchas and Tips

• Read-only subtree split: do not open PRs against netflex/api. Changes must go to netflex/framework and are then split back. Version tags can lag the parent repository, so verify the split tag matches the framework release you expect.

• Zero stars / low adoption: treat this as a vendor/internal package. Pin exact versions (composer require netflex/api:^x.y) and review changelogs in netflex/framework before upgrading. Avoid relying on community support.

• Do not install both netflex/api and netflex/framework unless you understand the dependency graph. The framework already includes the API component; installing both can cause class or config collisions.

• Config caching quirk: after changing API credentials or base URI, run php artisan config:clear (or config:cache again). Laravel will silently keep stale credentials otherwise.

• Facade aliasing: if the package registers a facade, confirm it is in config/app.php aliases or auto-discovered. In Laravel 5.5+ auto-discovery usually handles it, but split packages sometimes omit the extra.laravel block.

• Error semantics: determine whether the client throws exceptions on 4xx/5xx or returns response objects. Wrap calls in a single error-handling layer and map API errors to domain exceptions. Do not let raw Guzzle exceptions bubble into controllers.

• Timeouts and retries: set explicit connect/read timeouts. Add retries only for idempotent GETs and safe writes; blindly retrying POSTs can create duplicates.

• Rate limits: Netflex may throttle per token or IP. Back off on 429 responses and respect Retry-After headers. Queue bulk syncs instead of looping synchronously.

• Extension points: bind a custom client subclass or configure the package’s service provider to swap the HTTP handler. If the package uses a singleton client, remember that long-running queue workers will reuse it; reset state between jobs if needed.

• Debugging: enable Guzzle debug output only in local environments:

  $client->getHttpClient()->config['debug'] = true;
  

  Never leave debug logging on in production—it can leak tokens and payloads.

• Version drift: because the package is split from a monorepo, its composer.json may reference sibling Netflex packages. Run composer why netflex/api and composer outdated to spot mismatched versions before debugging application code.