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API routes are endpoints that return JSON data, typically used for REST APIs, mobile apps, or frontend applications.

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Basic API Route Definition

API routes are defined in routes/api.php and return a function that accepts a RouteCollector instance:
routes/api.php
<?php

use FastRoute\RouteCollector;

return function (RouteCollector $r) {
    // Your routes go here
};

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Adding Routes

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Simple Routes

Use addRoute() to define routes with specific HTTP methods:
routes/api.php
$r->addRoute('GET', '/api/test', 'test_get');
$r->addRoute('POST', '/api/test', 'test_post');
$r->addRoute('GET', '/api/items', 'items_get');
$r->addRoute('POST', '/api/items', 'items_post');

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HTTP Method Shortcuts

FastRoute provides convenient methods for common HTTP verbs:
routes/api.php
$r->get('/api/test/{id:\d+}/test/{id2:\d+}', 'getid');
$r->delete('/api/test/delete/{id:\d+}', 'delete');
$r->post('/api/test/{test:\d+}', 'postdata');
The {id:\d+} syntax defines a route parameter that only matches digits. The pattern after the colon is a regular expression.

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Route Parameters

Capture dynamic values from the URL using route parameters:
routes/api.php
// Single parameter
$r->delete('/api/test/delete/{id:\d+}', 'delete');

// Multiple parameters
$r->get('/api/test/{id:\d+}/test/{id2:\d+}', 'getid');

// Parameter in POST route
$r->post('/api/test/{test:\d+}', 'postdata');
The handler function receives parameters as an array:
index.php
function getid($var) {
    if (is_array($var)) {
        $id = $var['id'];
        $id2 = $var['id2'];
    }
    echo "given id: ".$id;
    echo "given id: ".$id2;
}

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Route Groups

Group related routes with a common prefix using addGroup():
routes/api.php
$r->addGroup('/api/projects', function (FastRoute\RouteCollector $r) use($obj) {
    $r->get('/testing/test', function() use($obj) {
        $obj->hello();
    });
    $r->get("/", function() use($obj) {
        $obj->display(1);
    });
});

$r->addGroup('/api/tasks', function (FastRoute\RouteCollector $r) use($obj) {
    $r->get("/", function() use($obj) {
        $obj->display(2);
    });
});
Route groups are perfect for organizing endpoints by resource or API version.

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Using Class-Based Handlers

You can use class methods as handlers by including the class and passing the instance:
routes/api.php
include __DIR__."/../v1/test.php";
$obj = new testing;

return function (RouteCollector $r) {
    $obj = new testing;
    
    $r->get('/api/class', function() use($obj) {
        $obj->hello();
    });
};

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Inline Closure Handlers

For simple logic, you can define handlers directly in the route definition:
routes/api.php
$r->get('/', function() {
    require __DIR__ . '/../views/main.php';
});

$r->get('/about', function() {
    require __DIR__ . '/../views/about.php';
});

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Content-Type Headers

The main index.php file automatically sets the appropriate content type based on the route:
index.php
if (strpos($uri, '/api/') === 0) {
    header('Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8');
} else {
    header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8');
}
All routes starting with /api/ will automatically return JSON content type. Make sure your handlers return valid JSON.

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete example from the source code:
routes/api.php
<?php

use FastRoute\RouteCollector;
use FastRoute\ConfigureRoutes;
include __DIR__."/../v1/test.php";
$obj = new testing;

return function (RouteCollector $r) {
    $obj = new testing;

    $r->addGroup('/api/projects', function (FastRoute\RouteCollector $r) use($obj) {
        $r->get('/testing/test', function() use($obj) {
            $obj->hello();
        });
        $r->get("/", function() use($obj) {
            $obj->display(1);
        });
    });
    
    $r->addGroup('/api/tasks', function (FastRoute\RouteCollector $r) use($obj) {
        $r->get("/", function() use($obj) {
            $obj->display(2);
        });
    });

    $r->addRoute('GET', '/api/test', 'test_get');
    $r->addRoute('POST', '/api/test', 'test_post');
    $r->addRoute('GET', '/api/items', 'items_get');
    $r->addRoute('POST', '/api/items', 'items_post');
    $r->addRoute('GET', '/api/items/1', 'item_get_1');

    $r->get('/api/test/{id:\d+}/test/{id2:\d+}', 'getid');
    $r->delete('/api/test/delete/{id:\d+}', 'delete');
    $r->post('/api/test/{test:\d+}', 'postdata');

    $r->get('/api/class', function() use($obj) {
        $obj->hello();
    });
};

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Next Steps

Route Handlers

Learn about different handler types

Web Routes

Create routes that return HTML