CodeIgniter RestServer is a REST API library for CodeIgniter that provides a fully RESTful server implementation using a single library, configuration file, and controller.
The tool addresses the need to build REST APIs within CodeIgniter applications by abstracting common REST patterns into reusable components. Developers extend a RestController base class and define methods that automatically map to HTTP verbs and URL patterns. The library handles content negotiation, routing requests to appropriate handlers, and formatting responses in multiple output formats. Configuration is centralized in a single config file, reducing boilerplate and keeping API behavior consistent across endpoints.
CodeIgniter RestServer suits teams already committed to the CodeIgniter framework who need to expose data through REST endpoints without building request handling and response formatting from scratch. It works well for applications where a lightweight, framework-integrated approach is preferred over standalone API frameworks. The tool supports multiple response formats and allows developers to extend the Format class to add custom output types like PDF if needed.
The project maintains active development with a version 4 in beta available on the development branch, indicating ongoing evolution to support newer PHP versions and CodeIgniter versions. The tool is distributed through Packagist with semantic versioning, making dependency management straightforward for projects using Composer. Documentation includes practical examples showing how to structure controllers and handle common patterns like filtering results by ID through URL parameters.
