Laravel API Platform authentication doesn't work. What could be the possible causes and solutions?

Laravel API Platform is a powerful and flexible framework for building RESTful APIs using Laravel. Authentication is an essential aspect of any API, and when it doesn't work, it can cause significant issues. In this answer, we will discuss some possible causes and solutions for Laravel API Platform authentication not working.

Incorrect API Key or Token The most common cause of authentication failure is an incorrect API key or token. Ensure that the API key or token provided in the request header is valid and matches the one registered in the Laravel API Platform. You can check the registered API keys or tokens by running the following command in your terminal:

php artisan api:key list

CSRF Protection By default, Laravel API Platform enables CSRF protection, which can cause authentication issues when making requests from a frontend application or a different domain. To disable CSRF protection, add the following header to your request:

'X-CSRF-TOKEN': 'your-csrf-token'

Or, you can disable CSRF protection globally by adding the following line to your .env file:

APP_CSRF=false

Middleware Configuration Ensure that the authentication middleware is correctly configured in your api.php file. By default, Laravel API Platform includes the api middleware group, which includes the auth:api middleware. Make sure that the middleware group is included in your routes file:

Route::middleware('api')
    ->namespace($namespace)
    ->group(base_path('routes/api.php'));

Database Connection If you are using database authentication, ensure that the database connection is correctly configured in your .env file. Check that the database name, username, and password are correct.
Password Hashing If you are using password authentication, ensure that the password is hashed correctly. Laravel API Platform uses bcrypt hashing by default. You can check if the password is hashed correctly by running the following command in your terminal:

php artisan make:model User -m
php artisan migrate
php artisan make:controller AuthController --api

Then, open the AuthController.php file and add the following code to the login method:

$credentials = $request->only(['email', 'password']);

if (! $token = JWTAuth::attempt($credentials)) {
    return response()->json(['error' => 'invalid_credentials'], 401);
}

return response()->json(compact('token'));

And, open the User.php model file and add the following code to the boot method:

public static function boot()
{
    static::creating(function ($model) {
        $model->password = bcrypt($model->password);
    });
}

Firewall Middleware If you are using the Laravel Firewall middleware, ensure that the API key or token is allowed. You can add the following code to the api.php file to allow all API keys:

Route::middleware('auth:api')->except(['get-logout']);
Route::group(['middleware' => ['web', 'throttle:60,1']], function () {
    Route::get('logout', 'Auth\LoginController@logout');
});

Or, you can add the following code to the api.php file to allow specific API keys:

Route::middleware(function ($request, $next) {
    if ($request->header('X-API-KEY') !== 'your-api-key') {
        return response()->json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
    }

    return $next($request);
});

Custom Authentication If none of the above solutions work, you may need to implement custom authentication. Laravel API Platform provides several authentication methods, including JWT, OAuth, and Passport. You can refer to the Laravel API Platform documentation for more information on implementing custom authentication.

In conclusion, Laravel API Platform authentication not working can be caused by several factors, including incorrect API keys or tokens, CSRF protection, middleware configuration, database connection, password hashing, and firewall middleware. By following the solutions provided above, you should be able to resolve most authentication issues with Laravel API Platform.