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Overview

ServITech is a REST API backend built with Laravel 12 that manages quotations for technology and anime products, as well as technical support requests. The system follows a three-tier architecture pattern with clear separation of concerns.

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System Components

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Architecture Layers

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1. Client Layer

The system is designed to be consumed by:
  • Android Mobile Application: Built with Kotlin, provides the user interface
  • Third-party clients: Any HTTP client can interact with the API using standard REST conventions

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2. API Layer (Laravel Backend)

The core backend is organized into several key components:

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Controllers

Located in app/Http/Controllers/, controllers handle incoming requests:
  • AuthController (app/Http/Controllers/Auth/AuthController.php:35) - User authentication (login, register, password reset)
  • UserController (app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php:18) - User profile management
  • ArticleController - Technology and anime product management
  • CategoryController - Product category management (admin only)
  • SubcategoryController - Product subcategory management
  • SupportRequestController - Technical support ticket handling
  • RepairRequestController - Repair request management (admin only)

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Responses

Standardized response classes in app/Http/Responses/:
  • ApiResponse (app/Http/Responses/ApiResponse.php:8) - Unified JSON response format for success and error states
  • MessageResponse (app/Http/Responses/MessageResponse.php:5) - User-facing message formatting

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Routing

API routes are defined in routes/api.php:27 with the following structure:
  • Public routes: Authentication endpoints, article browsing
  • Protected routes (auth:api middleware): User profile, support requests
  • Admin routes (role:admin middleware): Category management, repair requests
All routes are localized using the localizedGroup() helper, automatically adapting responses to the client’s preferred language.

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3. Data Layer

The system supports two database engines:
  • MySQL: Recommended for production deployments
  • SQLite: Used for development and testing
Data is managed through:
  • Eloquent ORM: Laravel’s database abstraction layer
  • Migrations: Version-controlled database schema
  • Seeders: Initial data population

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Key Technologies

TechnologyVersionPurpose
PHP8+Server-side language
Laravel12Web application framework
JWT AuthLatestToken-based authentication
Spatie PermissionLatestRole and permission management
Scramble (Dedoc)LatestAPI documentation generation
MySQL/SQLiteLatestData persistence

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Authentication Flow

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Request/Response Flow

  1. Client sends request with optional Accept-Language header
  2. Localization middleware sets the application locale based on:
    • URL parameter
    • Cookie value
    • Session value
    • Accept-Language header (e.g., en, es)
  3. Authentication middleware (if protected route) validates JWT token
  4. Authorization middleware (if admin route) checks user role
  5. Controller processes the request and calls business logic
  6. Response is formatted using ApiResponse and returned as JSON

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Configuration Files

Key configuration files in config/:
  • app.php - Application settings, locale configuration
  • auth.php - Authentication guards and providers
  • jwt.php - JWT authentication settings
  • permission.php - Spatie permission package configuration
  • localization.php - Multi-language routing and translation settings
  • database.php - Database connection configuration

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Development Environment

The project uses:
  • Composer: PHP dependency management
  • NPM: Frontend asset management
  • Artisan: Laravel’s command-line tool
  • Git Flow: Branching strategy (main for production, dev for development)
The application uses environment variables (.env file) for configuration. Never commit sensitive credentials to version control.

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Scalability Considerations

The architecture supports:
  • Horizontal scaling: Stateless JWT authentication allows multiple API servers
  • Caching: Laravel’s cache system for permissions and translations (24-hour default)
  • Queue system: Background job processing for emails and notifications
  • Database replication: Support for read/write splitting

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API Documentation

Live API documentation is automatically generated at ${APP_URL}/docs/api using Scramble, providing:
  • Interactive endpoint testing
  • Request/response examples
  • Authentication requirements
  • Validation rules

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Next Steps

Authorization

Learn about the role-based access control system

Localization

Understand multi-language support

Error Handling

Explore error response formats

Authentication

Deep dive into JWT authentication

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