What are the steps to generate API version files in Laravel 11

1. Install API Support: First, you need to set up the API routes and middleware. Run the following Artisan command:

bash
   php artisan install:api
   

This command creates the `api.php` route file and configures the necessary middleware.

2. Create Versioned Route Files: Create separate files for each API version you want to implement. You can do this using the command line:

bash
   touch routes/api_v1.php
   touch routes/api_v2.php
   

3. Create Controllers for Each Version: Generate controllers for each API version. For example:

bash
   php artisan make:controller --api Api/V1/PostsController
   php artisan make:controller --api Api/V2/PostsController
   

4. Define Routes in `api.php`: Open the `routes/api.php` file and add the following lines to include your versioned routes:

php
   Route::prefix('v1')->group(base_path('routes/api_v1.php'));
   Route::prefix('v2')->group(base_path('routes/api_v2.php'));
   

5. Add Routes to Versioned Files: In your `routes/api_v1.php` and `routes/api_v2.php`, define the specific routes for each version. For example, in `api_v1.php`:

php
   <?php
   use App\Http\Controllers\Api\V1\PostsController;
   Route::apiResource('posts', PostsController::class);
   

And in `api_v2.php`:

php
   <?php
   use App\Http\Controllers\Api\V2\PostsController;
   Route::apiResource('posts', PostsController::class);
   

6. Run Route List Command: Finally, you can check your defined routes by running:

bash
   php artisan route:list
   

This will display all the routes, including those for each API version you have set up. You can also isolate versioned routes using the `--path` flag, for example:

bash
php artisan route:list --path=api/v1

By following these steps, you can effectively manage API versioning in Laravel 11, keeping your routes organized and maintainable[1].