generating-rest-apis

name	generating-rest-apis
description	Generate complete REST API implementations from OpenAPI specifications or database schemas. Use when generating RESTful API implementations. Trigger with phrases like "generate REST API", "create RESTful API", or "build REST endpoints".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(api:rest-*)
version	1.23.0
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
license	MIT
tags	["api","database","rest-apis"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Generating REST APIs

Overview

Generate complete, production-ready REST API implementations from OpenAPI specifications, database schemas, or resource definitions. Scaffold CRUD endpoints with proper HTTP method semantics, content negotiation, pagination, filtering, and HATEOAS link generation across Express, FastAPI, Spring Boot, and Gin frameworks.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ with Express/Fastify, or Python 3.10+ with FastAPI/Flask, or Java 17+ with Spring Boot, or Go 1.21+ with Gin/Echo
• OpenAPI 3.0+ specification or database schema (SQL DDL, Prisma, Sequelize models)
• HTTP testing tool: curl, httpie, or Postman
• Database server (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB) accessible for ORM integration
• Package manager configured (npm, pip, Maven, or go modules)

Instructions

1. Scan the project for existing OpenAPI specs, database models, or route definitions using Glob and Read to establish current API surface area.
2. Parse resource entities from the specification and generate model definitions with field types, validation constraints, and relationship mappings.
3. Create route files implementing all five standard REST operations per resource: GET /resources (list with pagination), GET /resources/:id, POST /resources, PUT /resources/:id, and DELETE /resources/:id.
4. Implement controller logic with input validation using JSON Schema or framework-native validators (Zod, Pydantic, Bean Validation).
5. Add query parameter support for filtering (?status=active), sorting (?sort=-created_at), field selection (?fields=id,name), and cursor-based or offset pagination.
6. Wire authentication middleware to protect mutation endpoints (POST, PUT, DELETE) while allowing read access per configuration.
7. Generate standardized error response envelopes with RFC 7807 Problem Details format for all 4xx/5xx responses.
8. Create integration tests covering happy paths, validation failures, 404s, and auth rejection for every endpoint.
9. Produce or update the OpenAPI 3.0 specification to match the generated implementation.

See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation.md for the full step-by-step implementation guide.

Output

• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/src/routes/ - Express/Fastify route definitions with HTTP method handlers
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/src/controllers/ - Business logic separated from routing
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/src/models/ - ORM models with validation rules and relationships