To authenticate Laravel API, it is recommended to use Laravel Sanctum. The specific steps are as follows: 1. Install Sanctum through Composer and publish configuration files and migrations; 2. Add EnsureFrontendRequestsAreStateful middleware for the API middleware group in Kernel.php; 3. Introduce HasApiTokens trait in the User model; 4. Create login, get user and logout API routes, generate tokens and return when logging in; 5. Use auth:sanctum middleware to protect routes that need authentication; 6. Carry Bearer tokens in the Authorization header for authentication during front-end requests; In addition, you can optionally use token permissions to achieve fine-grained control, and if you need to build OAuth2 Passport should be selected for the service, but for most single page or mobile applications, Sanctum is simpler and sufficient to use.
Authenticating an API in Laravel typically involves using Laravel Sanctum or Laravel Passport. For most modern Laravel APIs—especially single-page apps (SPAs) or mobile apps— Laravel Sanctum is the recommended and simpler approach. Here's how to set it up properly.
? 1. Install and Set Up Laravel Sanctum
First, install Sanctum via Composer:
composer requires laravel/sanctum
Publish the Sanctum configuration and migration files:
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Sanctum\SanctumServiceProvider"
Run the migrations to create the personal access tokens table:
php artisan migrate
? 2. Add Sanctum Middleware
In your app/Http/Kernel.php , make sure the EnsureFrontendRequestsAreStateful middleware is included in the api middleware group:
'api' => [
\Laravel\Sanctum\Http\Middleware\EnsureFrontendRequestsAreStateful::class,
'throttle:api',
\Illuminate\Routing\Middleware\SubstituteBindings::class,
],? 3. Add HasApiTokens Trait to User Model
Ensure your User model (or any authenticatable model) uses the HasApiTokens trait:
use Laravel\Sanctum\HasApiTokens;
class User extends Authenticatable
{
use HasApiTokens, HasFactory, Notifiable;
}? 4. Create API Authentication Endpoints
You'll need basic login/logout and user endpoints. Here's an example in routes/api.php :
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use App\Models\User;
// Login
Route::post('/login', function (Request $request) {
$credentials = $request->only('email', 'password');
if (Auth::attempt($credentials)) {
$user = Auth::user();
$token = $user->createToken('api-token')->plainTextToken;
return response()->json(['token' => $token]);
}
return response()->json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
});
// Get authenticated user
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->get('/user', function (Request $request) {
return $request->user();
});
// Logout (invalidate token)
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->post('/logout', function (Request $request) {
$request->user()->currentAccessToken()->delete();
return response()->json(['message' => 'Logged out']);
}); ? 5. Protecting Routes with auth:sanctum
Any route you want to protect should use the auth:sanctum middleware:
Route::middleware(['auth:sanctum'])->group(function () {
Route::get('/profile', [ProfileController::class, 'show']);
Route::post('/data', [DataController::class, 'store']);
});? 6. Calling the API from Frontend (Example)
After logging in and receiving the token, include it in the Authorization header:
fetch('/api/user', {
method: 'GET',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
}
})Note: Sanctum uses plain text tokens stored in the database. The
Bearertoken here is the plain-text value returned fromcreateToken().
Optional: Token Ability (Scopes)
You can scope tokens for fine-grained access:
$token = $user->createToken('api-token', ['read-posts', 'edit-posts'])->plainTextToken;
Then check abilities in middleware or controller:
if ($request->user()->tokenCan('edit-posts')) {
// Allow edit
}When to Use Passport instead?
- Use Laravel Passport if you're building an OAuth2 server (eg, third-party clients need to request access).
- For most internal APIs, SPAs, or mobile apps, Sanctum is simpler and sufficient .
Basically, Sanctum gives you a lightweight, token-based authentication system that's easy to set up and works great for typical Laravel API use cases. Just install, configure middleware, issue tokens on login, and protect routes.
The above is the detailed content of How to authenticate an API in Laravel?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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