Development · REST API
REST API
Register routes, permission callbacks, and consume WP REST from blocks or headless apps.
Practices, case studies, integration, and using the REST API in WordPress development
This guide covers practical patterns, case studies, and integration approaches from production 4WP plugins. We will expand it with code samples, checklists, and real project examples.
What you will find here (coming soon): Implementation patterns, agency workflows, and links to related architecture and development topics.
Custom Endpoints & Routes
register_rest_route, namespacing and versioning, and when to extend WP_REST_Controller instead of a raw callback.
Authentication & Permissions
Nonces, capability-based allow/deny checks, and Application Passwords for same-origin and script-based clients.
Extending vs Replacing wp/v2
register_rest_field, show_in_rest, and REST context — when to extend the defaults instead of building new routes.
Schema, Validation & Self-Documenting APIs
args schemas, validate_callback and sanitize_callback, and self-documenting endpoints via get_item_schema.
Testing, Debugging & Tooling
curl, Postman/Insomnia, and WP-CLI for exercising custom endpoints beyond the happy path.
Performance & Caching
Response caching, avoiding N+1 queries, pagination, and REST as an aggregation layer under real load.
Internal API Consumption
apiFetch, raw fetch with a localized nonce, and rest_do_request — consuming your own API from blocks, panels, and PHP.