Drupal JSON:API

Comprehensive guide for working with Drupal's JSON:API module (core) and JSON:API Extras (contrib). Covers spec-compliant REST API with filtering, includes, pagination, and customization.

I need to...

Get Started

I need to...	Guide	Summary
Understand what JSON:API is and when to use it	What is JSON:API	Understanding JSON:API's purpose helps determine if it fits your project requirements. JSON:API is a spec-compliant implementation built into Drupal core since 8.7.
Decide between JSON:API vs REST vs GraphQL	JSON:API vs REST vs GraphQL	Choose the right API approach based on your project's requirements and constraints.
Understand the core architecture and components	Core Architecture	Understanding the architecture is essential when customizing JSON:API behavior, debugging issues, or extending functionality.

Work with Resources

I need to...	Guide	Summary
Understand URL structure and resource types	URL Structure & Resource Types	Understanding URL patterns and resource type naming is fundamental for all API operations.
Fetch data with GET requests	Fetching Resources (GET)	Retrieving entity data from Drupal. Applies to collections (multiple entities) and individual entities.
Filter results by field values, operators, or groups	Filtering	Narrow down collection results based on field values. Essential for search, listing published content, filtering by author, date ranges, and complex queries.
Include related resources and limit response fields	Includes & Sparse Fieldsets	Includes: Fetch related entities in a single request (compound documents). Reduces HTTP round trips.
Sort results and paginate collections	Sorting & Pagination	Sorting: Control result order. Essential for chronological listings, alphabetical lists, and custom ordering.

Modify Data

I need to...	Guide
Create resources with POST requests	Creating Resources (POST)
Update resources with PATCH requests	Updating Resources (PATCH)
Delete resources	Deleting Resources (DELETE)
Upload files (images, documents)	File Uploads

Secure and Customize

I need to...	Guide
Set up authentication (Basic, Cookie, OAuth2, JWT)	Authentication Patterns
Apply security best practices for production	Security Best Practices
Customize resource names, URLs, and field visibility	JSON:API Extras Customization
Transform field values with enhancers	Field Enhancers

Optimize and Extend

I need to...	Guide
Improve API performance (caching, CDN, sparse fields)	Performance Optimization
Work with revisions and translations	Revisions & Translations
Find key source code files for debugging	Code Reference Map
Test and debug JSON:API implementations	Testing & Debugging

Reference

I need to...	Guide
Check guide sources and maintenance info	Sources & Maintenance