Most API projects I get called into are not new builds. They are rescue jobs: a mobile app that breaks every time the backend changes, a partner integration returning different JSON on Tuesday than it did on Monday, or an endpoint that takes eleven seconds because nobody ever looked at the queries. The common root is simple. Somebody treated the API as a by-product of the website instead of as a contract with other people's software.
I'm Arun Tyagi, a freelance Laravel developer working from Sector 58, Noida. When I build an API, I treat that contract as the product.
What I start with before writing any code
Before a single route exists, I want to know who consumes this thing. A React Native app you control is a very different client from a third-party logistics partner who will never read your changelog. So the first conversation covers:
- Who calls the API, and can you force them to upgrade?
- What happens when a request is retried twice because the user's network dropped?
- Which data is private per user, per company, or public?
- How many requests per minute is realistic on a normal day and on a bad one?
Those four answers decide authentication, idempotency, tenancy, and rate limits. Skipping them is how you end up rewriting in month four.
How I build REST APIs in Laravel
I use Laravel because it already solves the boring, dangerous parts well. That does not mean I accept defaults blindly.
- Authentication: Sanctum tokens for first-party apps, Passport or signed keys only when a real OAuth flow is required.
- Validation: Form Requests on every write endpoint, with error responses in one consistent shape.
- Resources: API Resource classes so the database schema can change without leaking into responses.
- Versioning: /api/v1 from day one. It costs nothing now and saves a painful migration later.
- Performance: eager loading, pagination by default, and caching for read-heavy endpoints.
- Background work: emails, exports, and webhooks go to queues, never inside a request cycle.
Documentation people actually use
I deliver an OpenAPI spec and a Postman collection with every build. Your frontend developer or partner should be able to call a working endpoint within ten minutes of reading it. If they cannot, the documentation has failed, not them.
Typical API jobs
- Backend for a mobile app. Usually paired with React Native app development. Login, push tokens, offline-friendly sync.
- SPA or Next.js backend. Clean JSON for React frontends, covered further on the React JS development page.
- Third-party integrations. Payment gateways, shipping, CRMs, WhatsApp Business, accounting tools, with retries and webhook signature checks.
- Wrapping a legacy system. An old PHP or ASP application you cannot rewrite yet gets a modern API layer in front of it.
- SaaS public API. Per-tenant keys, usage limits, and audit logs, which ties into Laravel SaaS development.
Rough pricing in India
| Scope | Approx. range (INR) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Single integration or 5-10 endpoints | ?30,000 - ?80,000 | Tested endpoints, docs, staging deploy |
| Full mobile-app backend | ?90,000 - ?2,50,000 | Auth, core modules, admin panel, docs |
| Public SaaS API with keys and limits | ?1,50,000 - ?4,00,000 | Tenancy, usage tracking, versioning |
| Audit of an existing API | ?15,000 - ?40,000 | Written findings, ranked fixes |
These are ranges, not promises. A written estimate follows once I have seen your data model and the list of clients calling it. For the wider picture, see the pricing page.
What I will tell you honestly
Not every project needs a custom API. If your site is a brochure with a contact form, you do not need one. If a ready-made connector already links your two tools, use it. And if your team wants GraphQL because it sounds modern but has three screens, REST will serve you better and cost less. I would rather say that on a call than bill you for the wrong thing.
Next step
Send me whatever you have: a Swagger file, a list of screens, or just a messy description of what talks to what. I will tell you what the API needs to do, what can wait, and roughly what it will cost.
WhatsApp me on +91 8791775933 or book a free 30-minute call. If you already know you want a Laravel specialist on it, the Laravel API developer page goes deeper on the technical side.