Laravel API and Inertia

Laravel API & Inertia Integration

API Resources and HTTP contracts

• Transform Eloquent models through JsonResource (ModelResource::make($model), ModelResource::collection($paginator)) rather than returning raw Eloquent models, so internal columns, hidden attributes and accidental relations never leak.
• Guard every relationship and pivot attribute in toArray() with $this->whenLoaded('relation'), $this->whenCounted('relation') and $this->whenPivotLoaded(...) so serialized resources never trigger lazy-loading N+1 queries.
• Use $this->when($condition, ...) or $this->mergeWhen(...) for role- or permission-dependent fields.
• Return consistent status codes (200, 201 on creation, 204 on empty delete, 401, 403, 404, 422 for validation, 409 for state conflicts) and preserve pagination metadata (data, links, meta) when wrapping paginators.

Inertia.js server integration

• Render Inertia pages with Inertia::render('Component/Name', [...]) matching the project's page component conventions, passing only the fields the page needs (or wrapping models in Resources/DTOs).
• Keep HandleInertiaRequests::share() lightweight because shared props run on every request; wrap expensive or rarely needed shared data in closures so they are evaluated lazily.
• Support partial reloads (Inertia::lazy(...) / closures) and, on Inertia v2, Inertia::defer(fn () => ...) for slow secondary panels so the initial page shell loads fast and the UI can show targeted loading skeletons.
• After successful Inertia mutations, redirect (to_route(...) or back()) with appropriate flash feedback. For validation failures, Laravel redirects back with session errors; the adapter exposes them through page.props.errors, triggering onError instead of onSuccess. A JSON API's 422 response is a separate contract, not the Inertia form-validation flow.
• Preserve submitted field state on validation failure. Use the form helper's scoped errors, or named error bags for multiple forms that share field names. Verify an invalid submission retains input, displays errors only on the submitted form, and produces no success feedback or mutation; then correct and resubmit successfully.