The best practices for API versioning in Laravel include using route prefixes, separating controllers and resources by version, preferring URL-based versioning, and managing deprecation. 1) Use route prefixes like /api/v1 and /api/v2 to isolate versions and avoid conflicts. 2) Separate controllers, resources, and middleware by version for clarity and independent maintenance. 3) Prefer URL versioning over headers or query parameters for better debugging, caching, and documentation support. 4) Clearly document changes, deprecate old versions with timelines, and communicate updates to users via headers or logs.

When building APIs in Laravel, versioning is a smart move to keep things stable as your application evolves. If you don’t plan for it early, updating endpoints or changing response formats can break existing clients relying on your API. Here’s how to approach it effectively.

Use Route Prefixes for Versioning

One of the most common and straightforward ways to version your API in Laravel is by using route prefixes. This keeps different versions of your API neatly separated and avoids conflicts.

You can define routes like this:

Route::prefix('api/v1')->group(function () {
    Route::get('users', 'UserController@index');
});

Route::prefix('api/v2')->group(function () {
    Route::get('users', 'UserV2Controller@index');
});

This way:

• /api/v1/users and /api/v2/users can behave differently without stepping on each other’s toes.
• You can gradually deprecate older versions while supporting newer ones.

Tip: Keep your controllers organized by version (e.g., App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1, App\Http\Controllers\Api\V2) so it's easy to maintain and scale.

Separate Controllers and Resources by Version

Just grouping routes isn't enough — you should also separate your controllers, request transformers, and even middleware per version.

Here’s why:

• Changes in one version won’t accidentally affect another.
• It’s easier to test and deploy updates independently.

For example:

• Use App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1\UserController
• And App\Http\Controllers\Api\V2\UserController

If you're using resource classes (like UserResource), consider naming them UserV1Resource and UserV2Resource. That makes it crystal clear which version they belong to.

Consider URL Versioning Over Header or Query Param Approaches

While Laravel supports various versioning strategies (headers, query parameters, subdomains), using the URL (/api/v1/...) is usually the best practice.

Why?

• It’s explicit and easy to debug
• It plays well with caching and CDN setups
• Documentation tools like Swagger/OpenAPI understand it easily

Other methods like Accept headers or query params (?version=2) might seem cleaner but are harder to manage long-term, especially when debugging or testing manually.

Deprecation and Communication Matter Too

Once you have multiple versions running, it’s important to:

• Clearly document what’s changed between versions
• Mark older versions as deprecated
• Provide timelines for when support will end

You can even add a custom header like X-API-Deprecated: true to alert consumers that they’re using an outdated version.

Also, consider logging usage of deprecated versions so you know who’s still relying on them before pulling the plug.

That’s basically it. Versioning your Laravel API doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require some planning up front. Organize your code by version, stick with URL-based routing, and make sure to communicate changes clearly.

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