1 package Catalyst::Controller::REST;
3 use namespace::autoclean;
6 $VERSION = eval $VERSION;
10 Catalyst::Controller::REST - A RESTful controller
14 package Foo::Controller::Bar;
16 use namespace::autoclean;
18 BEGIN { extends 'Catalyst::Controller::REST' }
20 sub thing : Local : ActionClass('REST') { }
22 # Answer GET requests to "thing"
24 my ( $self, $c ) = @_;
26 # Return a 200 OK, with the data in entity
27 # serialized in the body
32 foo => 'is real bar-y',
37 # Answer PUT requests to "thing"
39 $radiohead = $req->data->{radiohead};
41 $self->status_created(
43 location => $c->req->uri->as_string,
45 radiohead => $radiohead,
52 Catalyst::Controller::REST implements a mechanism for building
53 RESTful services in Catalyst. It does this by extending the
54 normal Catalyst dispatch mechanism to allow for different
55 subroutines to be called based on the HTTP Method requested,
56 while also transparently handling all the serialization/deserialization for
59 This is probably best served by an example. In the above
60 controller, we have declared a Local Catalyst action on
61 "sub thing", and have used the ActionClass('REST').
63 Below, we have declared "thing_GET" and "thing_PUT". Any
64 GET requests to thing will be dispatched to "thing_GET",
65 while any PUT requests will be dispatched to "thing_PUT".
67 Any unimplemented HTTP methods will be met with a "405 Method Not Allowed"
68 response, automatically containing the proper list of available methods. You
69 can override this behavior through implementing a custom
70 C<thing_not_implemented> method.
72 If you do not provide an OPTIONS handler, we will respond to any OPTIONS
73 requests with a "200 OK", populating the Allowed header automatically.
75 Any data included in C<< $c->stash->{'rest'} >> will be serialized for you.
76 The serialization format will be selected based on the content-type
77 of the incoming request. It is probably easier to use the L<STATUS HELPERS>,
78 which are described below.
80 "The HTTP POST, PUT, and OPTIONS methods will all automatically
81 L<deserialize|Catalyst::Action::Deserialize> the contents of
82 C<< $c->request->body >> into the C<< $c->request->data >> hashref", based on
83 the request's C<Content-type> header. A list of understood serialization
84 formats is L<below|/AVAILABLE SERIALIZERS>.
86 If we do not have (or cannot run) a serializer for a given content-type, a 415
87 "Unsupported Media Type" error is generated.
89 To make your Controller RESTful, simply have it
91 BEGIN { extends 'Catalyst::Controller::REST' }
95 See L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize/CONFIGURATION>. Note that the C<serialize>
96 key has been deprecated.
100 Catalyst::Controller::REST will automatically serialize your
101 responses, and deserialize any POST, PUT or OPTIONS requests. It evaluates
102 which serializer to use by mapping a content-type to a Serialization module.
103 We select the content-type based on:
107 =item B<The Content-Type Header>
109 If the incoming HTTP Request had a Content-Type header set, we will use it.
111 =item B<The content-type Query Parameter>
113 If this is a GET request, you can supply a content-type query parameter.
115 =item B<Evaluating the Accept Header>
117 Finally, if the client provided an Accept header, we will evaluate
118 it and use the best-ranked choice.
122 =head1 AVAILABLE SERIALIZERS
124 A given serialization mechanism is only available if you have the underlying
125 modules installed. For example, you can't use XML::Simple if it's not already
128 In addition, each serializer has its quirks in terms of what sorts of data
129 structures it will properly handle. L<Catalyst::Controller::REST> makes
130 no attempt to save you from yourself in this regard. :)
134 =item * C<text/x-yaml> => C<YAML::Syck>
136 Returns YAML generated by L<YAML::Syck>.
138 =item * C<text/html> => C<YAML::HTML>
140 This uses L<YAML::Syck> and L<URI::Find> to generate YAML with all URLs turned
141 to hyperlinks. Only usable for Serialization.
143 =item * C<application/json> => C<JSON>
145 Uses L<JSON> to generate JSON output. It is strongly advised to also have
146 L<JSON::XS> installed. The C<text/x-json> content type is supported but is
147 deprecated and you will receive warnings in your log.
149 You can also add a hash in your controller config to pass options to the json object.
150 For instance, to relax permissions when deserializing input, add:
152 json_options => { relaxed => 1 }
155 =item * C<text/javascript> => C<JSONP>
157 If a callback=? parameter is passed, this returns javascript in the form of: $callback($serializedJSON);
159 Note - this is disabled by default as it can be a security risk if you are unaware.
161 The usual MIME types for this serialization format are: 'text/javascript', 'application/x-javascript',
162 'application/javascript'.
164 =item * C<text/x-data-dumper> => C<Data::Serializer>
166 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<Data::Dumper> output.
168 =item * C<text/x-data-denter> => C<Data::Serializer>
170 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<Data::Denter> output.
172 =item * C<text/x-data-taxi> => C<Data::Serializer>
174 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<Data::Taxi> output.
176 =item * C<application/x-storable> => C<Data::Serializer>
178 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<Storable> output.
180 =item * C<application/x-freezethaw> => C<Data::Serializer>
182 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<FreezeThaw> output.
184 =item * C<text/x-config-general> => C<Data::Serializer>
186 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<Config::General> output.
188 =item * C<text/x-php-serialization> => C<Data::Serializer>
190 Uses the L<Data::Serializer> module to generate L<PHP::Serialization> output.
192 =item * C<text/xml> => C<XML::Simple>
194 Uses L<XML::Simple> to generate XML output. This is probably not suitable
195 for any real heavy XML work. Due to L<XML::Simple>s requirement that the data
196 you serialize be a HASHREF, we transform outgoing data to be in the form of:
198 { data => $yourdata }
202 Uses a regular Catalyst view. For example, if you wanted to have your
203 C<text/html> and C<text/xml> views rendered by TT, set:
207 'text/html' => [ 'View', 'TT' ],
208 'text/xml' => [ 'View', 'XML' ],
212 Your views should have a C<process> method like this:
215 my ( $self, $c, $stash_key ) = @_;
219 $output = $self->serialize( $c->stash->{$stash_key} );
223 $c->response->body( $output );
224 return 1; # important
228 my ( $self, $data ) = @_;
230 my $serialized = ... process $data here ...
237 By default, L<Catalyst::Controller::REST> will return a
238 C<415 Unsupported Media Type> response if an attempt to use an unsupported
239 content-type is made. You can ensure that something is always returned by
240 setting the C<default> config option:
242 __PACKAGE__->config(default => 'text/x-yaml');
244 would make it always fall back to the serializer plugin defined for
247 =head1 CUSTOM SERIALIZERS
249 Implementing new Serialization formats is easy! Contributions
250 are most welcome! If you would like to implement a custom serializer,
251 you should create two new modules in the L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize>
252 and L<Catalyst::Action::Deserialize> namespace. Then assign your new
253 class to the content-type's you want, and you're done.
255 See L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize> and L<Catalyst::Action::Deserialize>
256 for more information.
258 =head1 STATUS HELPERS
260 Since so much of REST is in using HTTP, we provide these Status Helpers.
261 Using them will ensure that you are responding with the proper codes,
262 headers, and entities.
264 These helpers try and conform to the HTTP 1.1 Specification. You can
265 refer to it at: L<http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616.txt>.
266 These routines are all implemented as regular subroutines, and as
267 such require you pass the current context ($c) as the first argument.
273 BEGIN { extends 'Catalyst::Controller' }
274 use Params::Validate qw(SCALAR OBJECT);
276 __PACKAGE__->mk_accessors(qw(serialize));
279 'stash_key' => 'rest',
281 'text/html' => 'YAML::HTML',
282 'text/xml' => 'XML::Simple',
283 'text/x-yaml' => 'YAML',
284 'application/json' => 'JSON',
285 'text/x-json' => 'JSON',
286 'text/x-data-dumper' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Dumper' ],
287 'text/x-data-denter' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Denter' ],
288 'text/x-data-taxi' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Taxi' ],
289 'application/x-storable' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Storable' ],
290 'application/x-freezethaw' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'FreezeThaw' ],
291 'text/x-config-general' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Config::General' ],
292 'text/x-php-serialization' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'PHP::Serialization' ],
296 sub begin : ActionClass('Deserialize') { }
298 sub end : ActionClass('Serialize') { }
302 Returns a "200 OK" response. Takes an "entity" to serialize.
309 radiohead => "Is a good band!",
318 my %p = Params::Validate::validate( @_, { entity => 1, }, );
320 $c->response->status(200);
321 $self->_set_entity( $c, $p{'entity'} );
327 Returns a "201 CREATED" response. Takes an "entity" to serialize,
328 and a "location" where the created object can be found.
332 $self->status_created(
334 location => $c->req->uri->as_string,
336 radiohead => "Is a good band!",
340 In the above example, we use the requested URI as our location.
341 This is probably what you want for most PUT requests.
348 my %p = Params::Validate::validate(
351 location => { type => SCALAR | OBJECT },
352 entity => { optional => 1 },
357 if ( ref( $p{'location'} ) ) {
358 $location = $p{'location'}->as_string;
360 $location = $p{'location'};
362 $c->response->status(201);
363 $c->response->header( 'Location' => $location );
364 $self->_set_entity( $c, $p{'entity'} );
368 =item status_accepted
370 Returns a "202 ACCEPTED" response. Takes an "entity" to serialize.
374 $self->status_accepted(
383 sub status_accepted {
386 my %p = Params::Validate::validate( @_, { entity => 1, }, );
388 $c->response->status(202);
389 $self->_set_entity( $c, $p{'entity'} );
393 =item status_no_content
395 Returns a "204 NO CONTENT" response.
399 sub status_no_content {
402 $c->response->status(204);
403 $self->_set_entity( $c, undef );
407 =item status_multiple_choices
409 Returns a "300 MULTIPLE CHOICES" response. Takes an "entity" to serialize, which should
410 provide list of possible locations. Also takes optional "location" for preferred choice.
414 sub status_multiple_choices {
417 my %p = Params::Validate::validate(
421 location => { type => SCALAR | OBJECT, optional => 1 },
426 if ( ref( $p{'location'} ) ) {
427 $location = $p{'location'}->as_string;
429 $location = $p{'location'};
431 $c->response->status(300);
432 $c->response->header( 'Location' => $location ) if exists $p{'location'};
433 $self->_set_entity( $c, $p{'entity'} );
437 =item status_bad_request
439 Returns a "400 BAD REQUEST" response. Takes a "message" argument
440 as a scalar, which will become the value of "error" in the serialized
445 $self->status_bad_request(
447 message => "Cannot do what you have asked!",
452 sub status_bad_request {
455 my %p = Params::Validate::validate( @_, { message => { type => SCALAR }, }, );
457 $c->response->status(400);
458 $c->log->debug( "Status Bad Request: " . $p{'message'} ) if $c->debug;
459 $self->_set_entity( $c, { error => $p{'message'} } );
463 =item status_not_found
465 Returns a "404 NOT FOUND" response. Takes a "message" argument
466 as a scalar, which will become the value of "error" in the serialized
471 $self->status_not_found(
473 message => "Cannot find what you were looking for!",
478 sub status_not_found {
481 my %p = Params::Validate::validate( @_, { message => { type => SCALAR }, }, );
483 $c->response->status(404);
484 $c->log->debug( "Status Not Found: " . $p{'message'} ) if $c->debug;
485 $self->_set_entity( $c, { error => $p{'message'} } );
491 Returns a "41O GONE" response. Takes a "message" argument as a scalar,
492 which will become the value of "error" in the serialized response.
498 message => "The document have been deleted by foo",
506 my %p = Params::Validate::validate( @_, { message => { type => SCALAR }, }, );
508 $c->response->status(410);
509 $c->log->debug( "Status Gone " . $p{'message'} ) if $c->debug;
510 $self->_set_entity( $c, { error => $p{'message'} } );
518 if ( defined($entity) ) {
519 $c->stash->{ $self->{'stash_key'} } = $entity;
526 =head1 MANUAL RESPONSES
528 If you want to construct your responses yourself, all you need to
529 do is put the object you want serialized in $c->stash->{'rest'}.
531 =head1 IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS
533 This Controller ties together L<Catalyst::Action::REST>,
534 L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize> and L<Catalyst::Action::Deserialize>. It should be suitable for most applications. You should be aware that it:
538 =item Configures the Serialization Actions
540 This class provides a default configuration for Serialization. It is currently:
543 'stash_key' => 'rest',
545 'text/html' => 'YAML::HTML',
546 'text/xml' => 'XML::Simple',
547 'text/x-yaml' => 'YAML',
548 'application/json' => 'JSON',
549 'text/x-json' => 'JSON',
550 'text/x-data-dumper' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Dumper' ],
551 'text/x-data-denter' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Denter' ],
552 'text/x-data-taxi' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Data::Taxi' ],
553 'application/x-storable' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Storable' ],
554 'application/x-freezethaw' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'FreezeThaw' ],
555 'text/x-config-general' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'Config::General' ],
556 'text/x-php-serialization' => [ 'Data::Serializer', 'PHP::Serialization' ],
560 You can read the full set of options for this configuration block in
561 L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize>.
563 =item Sets a C<begin> and C<end> method for you
565 The C<begin> method uses L<Catalyst::Action::Deserialize>. The C<end>
566 method uses L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize>. If you want to override
567 either behavior, simply implement your own C<begin> and C<end> actions
568 and forward to another action with the Serialize and/or Deserialize
571 package Foo::Controller::Monkey;
573 use namespace::autoclean;
575 BEGIN { extends 'Catalyst::Controller::REST' }
577 sub begin : Private {
579 ... do things before Deserializing ...
580 $c->forward('deserialize');
581 ... do things after Deserializing ...
584 sub deserialize : ActionClass('Deserialize') {}
588 ... do things before Serializing ...
589 $c->forward('serialize');
590 ... do things after Serializing ...
593 sub serialize : ActionClass('Serialize') {}
597 =head1 A MILD WARNING
599 I have code in production using L<Catalyst::Controller::REST>. That said,
600 it is still under development, and it's possible that things may change
601 between releases. I promise to not break things unnecessarily. :)
605 L<Catalyst::Action::REST>, L<Catalyst::Action::Serialize>,
606 L<Catalyst::Action::Deserialize>
608 For help with REST in general:
610 The HTTP 1.1 Spec is required reading. http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616.txt
612 Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_State_Transfer
614 The REST Wiki: http://rest.blueoxen.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?FrontPage
618 See L<Catalyst::Action::REST> for authors.
622 You may distribute this code under the same terms as Perl itself.
626 __PACKAGE__->meta->make_immutable;