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Luracast/Restler

A PHP 8+ REST API framework that generates routes, validation and OpenAPI docs from plain class methods using reflection.

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What is it?

Restler lets you write API logic as ordinary PHP class methods. It uses reflection and PHPDoc or attributes to map methods to HTTP routes, validate typed parameters, and produce OpenAPI 3.0 documentation with a built-in Swagger UI explorer, so most of the routing and controller plumbing is not written by hand.

By default responses are JSON, and file extensions such as .xml, .csv or .xlsx can select other output formats once they are configured. The framework can run under PHP-FPM, on Swoole or OpenSwoole for persistent high-throughput serving, on ReactPHP, on Workerman, or on AWS Lambda through Bref. It also includes GraphQL support, OAuth 2.0 server examples, and rate limiting.

The project targets PHP 8.0 and later and is installed with Composer. Its README includes a migration guide from v5 and example projects covering CRUD, authentication, versioning and HTML templates.

Key features

  • 01Maps class methods to REST routes automatically via reflection
  • 02Validates typed parameters and returns proper HTTP status codes
  • 03Generates OpenAPI 3.0 docs from PHPDoc comments with Swagger UI
  • 04Supports JSON by default and XML, CSV, XLSX, YAML and HTML when configured
  • 05Runs on PHP-FPM, Swoole/OpenSwoole, ReactPHP, Workerman or AWS Lambda
  • 06Includes GraphQL support, rate limiting and OAuth 2.0 server examples

Use cases

  • Building internal APIs or microservices in an existing PHP codebase
  • Serving JSON to modern clients and XML or CSV to legacy systems from the same endpoints
  • Exporting large datasets as CSV or Excel using generator streaming
  • Modernizing an older PHP application by adding a REST API layer

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install the package with Composer

    composer require luracast/restler:^6.0
  2. 2

    Create an API class and a public/index.php gateway that maps it (see README)

  3. 3

    Start the built-in PHP server

    php -S localhost:8080 -t public

Things to know

  • Requires PHP 8.0 or newer.
  • No license is specified in the project metadata.
  • Version 6 has breaking changes from v5, so upgrading needs the migration guide.

In collections

GraphQL APIs & API clientsFrameworks for building apps and websitesConcurrency & async libraries

Topics

#rest-api#php#openapi#swoole#api-framework#reflection#graphql#async#composer#framework

FAQ

What is Restler?
A PHP 8+ REST API framework that generates routes, validation and OpenAPI docs from plain class methods using reflection. Restler lets you write API logic as ordinary PHP class methods. It uses reflection and PHPDoc or attributes to map methods to HTTP routes, validate typed parameters, and produce OpenAPI 3.0 documentation with a built-in Swagger UI explorer, so most of the routing and controller plumbing is not written by hand.
Is Restler free to use? What license does it have?
Restler has no declared license. Its code is public, but without a license you have no explicit permission to reuse it; ask the author before relying on it.
Is Restler still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to Restler was on Nov 4, 2026.
What can I use Restler for?
Building internal APIs or microservices in an existing PHP codebase Serving JSON to modern clients and XML or CSV to legacy systems from the same endpoints Exporting large datasets as CSV or Excel using generator streaming Modernizing an older PHP application by adding a REST API layer
How do I install Restler?
Install the package with Composer: composer require luracast/restler:^6.0 Create an API class and a public/index.php gateway that maps it (see README) Start the built-in PHP server: php -S localhost:8080 -t public
Where can I get Restler?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/Luracast/Restler

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