Guides
API Applications
Applications that only serve API end-points, typically JSON, are very different from those that serve HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. In this guide, you’ll learn how to build an API-only app, using Buffalo.
Creating a New API Application
When creating a new Buffalo application using the buffalo new command, the optional --api flag will generate an application that is better suited to serving APIs than a stock Buffalo application.
$ buffalo new --api coke
Slimmed Project Layout
Applications generated with the --api flag don’t contain any front systems. This means there is no templating, stylesheets, etc…
buffalo new coke –api
├── Dockerfile
├── README.md
├── actions
│ ├── actions_test.go
│ ├── app.go
│ ├── home.go
│ ├── home_test.go
│ └── render.go
├── database.yml
├── fixtures
│ └── sample.toml
├── grifts
│ ├── db.go
│ └── init.go
├── inflections.json
├── main.go
└── models
├── models.go
└── models_test.go
buffalo new coke
├── Dockerfile
├── README.md
├── actions
│ ├── actions_test.go
│ ├── app.go
│ ├── home.go
│ ├── home_test.go
│ └── render.go
├── assets
│ ├── css
│ │ └── application.scss
│ ├── images
│ │ ├── favicon.ico
│ │ └── logo.svg
│ └── js
│ └── application.js
├── database.yml
├── fixtures
│ └── sample.toml
├── grifts
│ ├── db.go
│ └── init.go
├── inflections.json
├── locales
│ └── all.en-us.yaml
├── main.go
├── models
│ ├── models.go
│ └── models_test.go
├── node_modles
├── package.json
├── public
│ ├── assets
│ │ └── .keep
│ └── robots.txt
├── templates
│ ├── _flash.html
│ ├── application.html
│ └── index.html
├── webpack.config.js
└── yarn.lock
Tuned actions/app.go actions/render.go Files
API applications have actions/app.go and actions/render.go files that are a good starting point for API applications.
func App() *buffalo.App {
if app == nil {
app = buffalo.New(buffalo.Options{
Env: ENV,
SessionStore: sessions.Null{},
PreWares: []buffalo.PreWare{
cors.Default().Handler,
},
SessionName: "_coke_session",
})
app.Use(forceSSL())
app.Use(middleware.SetContentType("application/json"))
if ENV == "development" {
app.Use(middleware.ParameterLogger)
}
app.Use(middleware.PopTransaction(models.DB))
app.GET("/", HomeHandler)
}
return app
}
func init() {
r = render.New(render.Options{})
}
func App() *buffalo.App {
if app == nil {
app = buffalo.New(buffalo.Options{
Env: ENV,
SessionName: "_coke_session",
})
app.Use(forceSSL())
if ENV == "development" {
app.Use(middleware.ParameterLogger)
}
app.Use(csrf.New)
app.Use(middleware.PopTransaction(models.DB))
app.Use(translations())
app.GET("/", HomeHandler)
app.ServeFiles("/", http.FS(public.FS())) // serve files from the public directory
}
return app
}
func init() {
r = render.New(render.Options{
HTMLLayout: "application.html",
TemplatesFS: templates.FS(),
AssetsFS: public.FS(),
Helpers: render.Helpers{},
})
}