PHP CRUD API Generator

Expose your MySQL/MariaDB database as a secure, flexible, and instant REST-like API.
Features optional authentication (API key, Basic Auth, JWT, OAuth-ready),
OpenAPI (Swagger) docs, and zero code generation.

🚀 Features

Auto-discovers tables and columns
Full CRUD endpoints for any table
Bulk operations - Create or delete multiple records efficiently
Configurable authentication (API Key, Basic Auth, JWT, or none)
Rate limiting - Prevent API abuse with configurable request limits
Request logging - Comprehensive logging for debugging and monitoring
Advanced query features:
- Field selection - Choose specific columns to return
- Advanced filtering - Support for multiple comparison operators (eq, neq, gt, gte, lt, lte, like, in, notin, null, notnull)
- Sorting - Multi-column sorting with ascending/descending order
- Pagination - Efficient pagination with metadata
Input validation - Comprehensive validation to prevent SQL injection and invalid inputs
RBAC: per-table role-based access control
Admin panel (minimal)
OpenAPI (Swagger) JSON endpoint for instant docs
Clean PSR-4 codebase
PHPUnit tests and extensible architecture

📖 See detailed enhancement documentation → 📖 Rate Limiting Documentation → 📖 Request Logging Documentation → 📖 Quick Start (5 minutes) → 🔌 Integration with upMVC Framework → - NEW! Full-stack power combo

📦 Installation

Option 1: Install as Library (Recommended) ⚡

Just 4 simple steps:

# 1. Install via Composer
composer require bitshost/php-crud-api-generator

# 2. Copy 3 files to your project root
copy vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/public/index.php index.php
copy vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/dashboard.html dashboard.html
copy vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/health.php health.php

# 3. Edit index.php - Change 2 lines (point config paths to vendor)
# On line ~51, change:
#   $dbConfig = require __DIR__ . '/../config/db.php';
#   $apiConfig = require __DIR__ . '/../config/api.php';
# To:
#   $dbConfig = require __DIR__ . '/vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/db.php';
#   $apiConfig = require __DIR__ . '/vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/api.php';

# 4. Configure & run
notepad vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/db.php
notepad vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/api.php
php -S localhost:8000

That's it! Total modifications: 2 lines of code 🚀

📖 5-Minute Quick Start Guide →

Option 2: Standalone Project (Even Simpler!)

Download complete ready-to-use project:

composer create-project bitshost/php-crud-api-generator my-api
cd my-api

# Configure
cp config/db.example.php config/db.php
cp config/api.example.php config/api.php
notepad config/db.php
notepad config/api.php

# Run
php -S localhost:8000

That's it! Everything in one folder, ready to run. 0 lines to modify 🚀

⚙️ Configuration

If installed as library (via composer require):

Edit config files in vendor directory:

notepad vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/db.php
notepad vendor/bitshost/php-crud-api-generator/config/api.php

If standalone project (via composer create-project):

Copy and edit config files:

cp config/db.example.php config/db.php
cp config/api.example.php config/api.php

Config file structure:

Edit config/db.php:

return [
    'host' => 'localhost',
    'dbname' => 'your_database',
    'user' => 'your_db_user',
    'pass' => 'your_db_password',
    'charset' => 'utf8mb4'
];

Edit config/api.php:

return [
    'auth_enabled' => false, // true to require authentication
    'auth_method' => 'apikey', // 'apikey', 'basic', 'jwt', 'oauth'
    'api_keys' => ['changeme123'], // API keys for 'apikey'
    'basic_users' => ['admin' => 'secret'], // Users for 'basic' and 'jwt'
    'jwt_secret' => 'YourSuperSecretKey',
    'jwt_issuer' => 'yourdomain.com',
    'jwt_audience' => 'yourdomain.com',
    
    // Rate limiting (recommended for production)
    'rate_limit' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'max_requests' => 100,      // 100 requests
        'window_seconds' => 60,     // per 60 seconds (1 minute)
    ],
    
    // Request logging (recommended for production)
    'logging' => [
        'enabled' => true,
        'log_dir' => __DIR__ . '/../logs',
        'log_level' => 'info',      // debug, info, warning, error
    ],
];

🔒 Security Setup (Production)

⚠️ IMPORTANT: This framework ships with example credentials for development.
You MUST change these before deploying to production!

Quick Security Setup:

# 1. Generate secure secrets (JWT secret + API keys)
php scripts/generate_secrets.php

# 2. Update config/api.php with generated secrets

# 3. Create admin user in database
php scripts/create_user.php admin admin@yoursite.com YourSecurePassword123! admin

What to Change:

jwt_secret - Generate with: php scripts/generate_jwt_secret.php
api_keys - Use long random strings (64+ characters)
Default admin password in sql/create_api_users.sql
Database credentials in config/db.php

📖 Full security guide: docs/AUTHENTICATION.md

🔐 Authentication Modes

No auth: 'auth_enabled' => false
API Key: 'auth_enabled' => true, 'auth_method' => 'apikey'
Client: X-API-Key header or ?api_key=...
Basic Auth: 'auth_method' => 'basic'
Client: HTTP Basic Auth
JWT: 'auth_method' => 'jwt'
1. POST /index.php?action=login with username and password (from basic_users)
2. Use returned token as Authorization: Bearer <token>
OAuth (future): 'auth_method' => 'oauth'
(Implement provider logic as needed)

📚 API Endpoints

All requests go through public/index.php with action parameter.

Action	Method	Usage Example
tables	GET	`/index.php?action=tables`
columns	GET	`/index.php?action=columns&table=users`
list	GET	`/index.php?action=list&table=users`
count	GET	`/index.php?action=count&table=users`
read	GET	`/index.php?action=read&table=users&id=1`
create	POST	`/index.php?action=create&table=users` (form POST or JSON)
update	POST	`/index.php?action=update&table=users&id=1` (form POST or JSON)
delete	POST	`/index.php?action=delete&table=users&id=1`
bulk_create	POST	`/index.php?action=bulk_create&table=users` (JSON array)
bulk_delete	POST	`/index.php?action=bulk_delete&table=users` (JSON with ids)
openapi	GET	`/index.php?action=openapi`
login	POST	`/index.php?action=login` (JWT only)

🤖 Example `curl` Commands

# List tables
curl http://localhost/index.php?action=tables

# List users with API key
curl -H "X-API-Key: changeme123" "http://localhost/index.php?action=list&table=users"

# JWT login
curl -X POST -d "username=admin&password=secret" http://localhost/index.php?action=login

# List with JWT token
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" "http://localhost/index.php?action=list&table=users"

# Basic auth
curl -u admin:secret "http://localhost/index.php?action=list&table=users"

# Bulk create
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[{"name":"Alice","email":"alice@example.com"},{"name":"Bob","email":"bob@example.com"}]' \
  "http://localhost/index.php?action=bulk_create&table=users"

# Bulk delete
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ids":[1,2,3]}' \
  "http://localhost/index.php?action=bulk_delete&table=users"

💪 Bulk Operations

The API supports bulk operations for efficient handling of multiple records:

Bulk Create

Create multiple records in a single transaction. If any record fails, the entire operation is rolled back.

Endpoint: POST /index.php?action=bulk_create&table=users

Request Body (JSON array):

[
  {"name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com", "age": 25},
  {"name": "Bob", "email": "bob@example.com", "age": 30},
  {"name": "Charlie", "email": "charlie@example.com", "age": 35}
]

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "created": 3,
  "data": [
    {"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com", "age": 25},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "email": "bob@example.com", "age": 30},
    {"id": 3, "name": "Charlie", "email": "charlie@example.com", "age": 35}
  ]
}

Bulk Delete

Delete multiple records by their IDs in a single query.

Endpoint: POST /index.php?action=bulk_delete&table=users

Request Body (JSON):

{
  "ids": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "deleted": 5
}

📊 Count Records

Get the total count of records in a table with optional filtering. This is useful for analytics and doesn't include pagination overhead.

Endpoint: GET /index.php?action=count&table=users

Query Parameters:

filter - (Optional) Same filter syntax as the list endpoint

Examples:

# Count all users
curl "http://localhost/index.php?action=count&table=users"

# Count active users
curl "http://localhost/index.php?action=count&table=users&filter=status:eq:active"

# Count users over 18
curl "http://localhost/index.php?action=count&table=users&filter=age:gt:18"

# Count with multiple filters
curl "http://localhost/index.php?action=count&table=users&filter=status:eq:active,age:gte:18"

Response:

{
  "count": 42
}

🔄 Advanced Query Features (Filtering, Sorting, Pagination, Field Selection)

The list action endpoint now supports advanced query parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`filter`	string	Filter rows by column values. Format: `filter=col:op:value` or `filter=col:value` (backward compatible). Use `,` to combine multiple filters.
`sort`	string	Sort by columns. Comma-separated. Use `-` prefix for DESC. Example: `sort=-created_at,name`
`page`	int	Page number (1-based). Default: `1`
`page_size`	int	Number of rows per page (max 100). Default: `20`
`fields`	string	Select specific fields. Comma-separated. Example: `fields=id,name,email`

Filter Operators

Operator	Description	Example
`eq` or `:`	Equals	`filter=name:eq:Alice` or `filter=name:Alice`
`neq` or `ne`	Not equals	`filter=status:neq:deleted`
`gt`	Greater than	`filter=age:gt:18`
`gte` or `ge`	Greater than or equal	`filter=price:gte:100`
`lt`	Less than	`filter=stock:lt:10`
`lte` or `le`	Less than or equal	`filter=discount:lte:50`
`like`	Pattern match	`filter=email:like:%@gmail.com`
`in`	In list (pipe-separated)	`filter=status:in:active
`notin` or `nin`	Not in list	`filter=role:notin:admin
`null`	Is NULL	`filter=deleted_at:null:`
`notnull`	Is NOT NULL	`filter=email:notnull:`

Examples:

Basic filtering: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&filter=name:Alice
Advanced filtering: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&filter=age:gt:18,status:eq:active
Field selection: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&fields=id,name,email
Sorting: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&sort=-created_at,name
Pagination: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&page=2&page_size=10
Combined query: GET /index.php?action=list&table=users&filter=email:like:%gmail.com&sort=name&page=1&page_size=5&fields=id,name,email
IN operator: GET /index.php?action=list&table=orders&filter=status:in:pending|processing|shipped
Multiple conditions: GET /index.php?action=list&table=products&filter=price:gte:10,price:lte:100,stock:gt:0

Response:

{
  "data": [ ... array of rows ... ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 47,
    "page": 2,
    "page_size": 10,
    "pages": 5
  }
}

📝 OpenAPI Path Example

For /index.php?action=list&table={table}:

get:
  summary: List rows in {table} with optional filtering, sorting, and pagination
  parameters:
    - name: table
      in: query
      required: true
      schema: { type: string }
    - name: filter
      in: query
      required: false
      schema: { type: string }
      description: |
        Filter rows by column values. Example: filter=name:Alice,email:%gmail.com
    - name: sort
      in: query
      required: false
      schema: { type: string }
      description: |
        Sort by columns. Example: sort=-created_at,name
    - name: page
      in: query
      required: false
      schema: { type: integer, default: 1 }
      description: Page number (1-based)
    - name: page_size
      in: query
      required: false
      schema: { type: integer, default: 20, maximum: 100 }
      description: Number of rows per page (max 100)
  responses:
    '200':
      description: List of rows with pagination meta
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            properties:
              data:
                type: array
                items: { type: object }
              meta:
                type: object
                properties:
                  total: { type: integer }
                  page: { type: integer }
                  page_size: { type: integer }
                  pages: { type: integer }

🛡️ Security Notes

Enable authentication for any public deployment!
Enable rate limiting in production to prevent abuse
Enable request logging for security auditing and debugging
Never commit real credentials—use .gitignore and example configs.
Restrict DB user privileges.
Input validation: All user inputs (table names, column names, IDs, filters) are validated to prevent SQL injection and invalid queries.
Parameterized queries: All database queries use prepared statements with bound parameters.
RBAC enforcement: Role-based access control is enforced at the routing level before any database operations.
Rate limiting: Configurable request limits prevent API abuse and DoS attacks.
Sensitive data redaction: Passwords, tokens, and API keys are automatically redacted from logs.

📖 Rate Limiting Documentation → 📖 Request Logging Documentation →

🧪 Running Tests

./vendor/bin/phpunit

🔗 Working with Related Data (Client-Side Joins)

Your API provides all the data you need - it's up to the client to decide how to combine it. This approach gives you maximum flexibility and control.

Current approach: Fetch related data in separate requests and combine on the client side.

Quick Example: Get User with Posts

// 1. Fetch user
const user = await fetch('/api.php?action=read&table=users&id=123')
  .then(r => r.json());

// 2. Fetch user's posts
const posts = await fetch('/api.php?action=list&table=posts&filter=user_id:123')
  .then(r => r.json());

// 3. Combine however you want
const userData = {
  ...user,
  posts: posts.data
};

Optimization: Use IN Operator for Batch Fetching

// Get multiple related records in one request
const postIds = '1|2|3|4|5';  // IDs from previous query
const comments = await fetch(
  `/api.php?action=list&table=comments&filter=post_id:in:${postIds}`
).then(r => r.json());

// Group by post_id on client
const commentsByPost = comments.data.reduce((acc, comment) => {
  acc[comment.post_id] = acc[comment.post_id] || [];
  acc[comment.post_id].push(comment);
  return acc;
}, {});

Parallel Fetching for Performance

// Fetch multiple resources simultaneously
const [user, posts, comments] = await Promise.all([
  fetch('/api.php?action=read&table=users&id=123').then(r => r.json()),
  fetch('/api.php?action=list&table=posts&filter=user_id:123').then(r => r.json()),
  fetch('/api.php?action=list&table=comments&filter=user_id:123').then(r => r.json())
]);

// All requests happen at once - much faster!

📖 See complete client-side join examples →

Why this approach?

✅ Client decides what data to fetch and when
✅ Easy to optimize with caching and parallel requests
✅ Different clients can have different data needs
✅ Standard REST API practice
✅ No server-side complexity for joins

Future: Auto-join/expand features may be added based on user demand.

🗺️ Roadmap

Client-side joins ✅ (Current - simple and flexible!)
Relations / Linked Data (auto-join, populate, or expand related records) - Future, based on demand
API Versioning (when needed)
OAuth/SSO (if targeting SaaS/public)
More DB support (Postgres, SQLite, etc.)
Analytics & promotion endpoints

📄 License

MIT

🙌 Credits

Built by BitHost. PRs/issues welcome!

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 44 Commits
.phpunit.cache		.phpunit.cache
config		config
docs		docs
examples		examples
public		public
scripts		scripts
sql		sql
src		src
tests		tests
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
composer.json		composer.json
dashboard.html		dashboard.html
health.php		health.php
phpunit.xml		phpunit.xml

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BitsHost/PHP-CRUD-API-Generator

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PHP CRUD API Generator

🚀 Features

📦 Installation

Option 1: Install as Library (Recommended) ⚡

Option 2: Standalone Project (Even Simpler!)

⚙️ Configuration

If installed as library (via composer require):

If standalone project (via composer create-project):

🔒 Security Setup (Production)

Quick Security Setup:

What to Change:

🔐 Authentication Modes

📚 API Endpoints

🤖 Example curl Commands

💪 Bulk Operations

Bulk Create

Bulk Delete

📊 Count Records

🔄 Advanced Query Features (Filtering, Sorting, Pagination, Field Selection)

Filter Operators

📝 OpenAPI Path Example

🛡️ Security Notes

🧪 Running Tests

🔗 Working with Related Data (Client-Side Joins)

Quick Example: Get User with Posts

Optimization: Use IN Operator for Batch Fetching

Parallel Fetching for Performance

🗺️ Roadmap

📄 License

🙌 Credits

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