Use URL versioning (e.g., /api/v1) for simplicity and clarity. 2. Group versioned routes using Route::prefix() in routes/api.php. 3. Organize controllers, resources, and transformers by version in separate directories (e.g., App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1). 4. Use Laravel API Resources to maintain consistent response structures per version. 5. Optionally use header-based versioning with middleware, though it adds complexity. 6. Deprecate old versions gracefully by adding warning headers, logging usage, communicating timelines, and removing only when safe. Versioning early and clearly ensures backward compatibility and prevents breaking clients unexpectedly.
Versioning a Laravel API is a best practice to maintain backward compatibility when you make breaking changes. Here’s how to do it effectively and cleanly.

1. Use URL or Header Versioning (URL is Simpler)
The most common and straightforward approach is URL versioning, where the API version is part of the route:
/api/v1/users /api/v2/users
In Laravel, define versioned routes in routes/api.php
:

// routes/api.php // v1 endpoints Route::prefix('v1')->group(function () { Route::apiResource('users', [V1\UserController::class]); }); // v2 endpoints Route::prefix('v2')->group(function () { Route::apiResource('users', [V2\UserController::class]); });
This keeps routes isolated and makes it clear which version a client is using.
? Tip: Use route prefixes with middleware if needed (e.g., auth, throttling).
2. Organize Controllers and Resources by Version
Structure your app to support multiple versions cleanly:
App/ └── Http/ └── Controllers/ └── Api/ ├── V1/ │ ├── UserController.php │ └── transformers/ └── V2/ ├── UserController.php └── transformers/
Each version has its own controllers, request classes, and resource transformers (if using API resources).
For example:
// App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1\UserController.php namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1; class UserController extends Controller { public function index() { return UserResource::collection(User::all()); } }
// App\Http\Controllers\Api\V2\UserController.php namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api\V2; class UserController extends Controller { public function index() { return UserV2Resource::collection(User::with('profile')->get()); } }
3. Use API Resources for Response Consistency
Laravel’s API Resources help format responses consistently per version:
php artisan make:resource V1/UserResource php artisan make:resource V2/UserV2Resource
This way, even if the underlying data changes, each version returns the expected structure.
4. Optional: Header-Based Versioning
Some prefer versioning via headers (e.g., Accept: application/vnd.myapp.v2 json
). While more "RESTful" to purists, it’s harder to test and debug.
If you go this route, use middleware to inspect the Accept
header and route accordingly — but this adds complexity. For most apps, URL versioning is clearer and easier to manage.
5. Deprecate Old Versions Gracefully
When retiring a version:
- Add
Deprecated
headers - Log usage of old versions
- Communicate timelines to API consumers
- Eventually remove routes/controllers when safe
Example middleware to flag deprecated versions:
// app/Http/Middleware/CheckApiVersion.php public function handle($request, $next, $version) { if ($version === 'v1') { header('X-API-Deprecated: true'); header('X-API-Warn: v1 will be deprecated on 2025-01-01'); } return $next($request); }
Apply it in your route group:
Route::prefix('v1')->middleware('check.api.version:v1')->group(function () { // ... });
Summary
- ? Use URL versioning (
/api/v1/...
) - ? Group routes with
prefix('v1')
- ? Separate controllers and resources per version
- ? Keep response formats stable
- ? Deprecate old versions with warnings
It’s not flashy, but it’s reliable and easy to scale. Most successful APIs (Stripe, GitHub, etc.) use similar patterns.
Basically: version early, version clearly, and don’t break clients unexpectedly.
The above is the detailed content of How to version a Laravel API?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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