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This guide walks you through creating a resource class that exposes an Order model through the Exo API. By the end, you’ll have a working API endpoint with create, read, update, and delete operations.

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What is a resource?

A resource is a PHP class that tells Exo:
  • Which model to expose (e.g. Order, Contact, Invoice)
  • Which fields to include in API responses
  • Which events to trigger webhooks for (create, update, delete)
  • What validation rules to apply when creating or updating records

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Generate the resource

Run the Artisan command to scaffold a new resource: 
php artisan exo:resource OrderResource --model="App\Models\Order" --triggers=on_create,on_update,on_delete
This creates a file at app/Exo/Resources/OrderResource.php with all the methods you need to fill in.

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Customize the resource

Open the generated file. Here’s what each section does and how to fill it in.

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Choose which fields to expose

The transform method controls what data appears in API responses and webhook payloads. Return only the fields you want to share: 
public function transform(Model $model): array
{
    return [
        'id' => $model->id,
        'order_number' => $model->order_number,
        'status' => $model->status,
        'total' => $model->total,
        'customer_name' => $model->customer_name,
        'created_at' => $model->created_at,
        'updated_at' => $model->updated_at,
    ];
}
Only include fields that external tools need. Sensitive data like internal notes or cost margins should be left out.

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Set ownership

If orders belong to a specific user, set the ownerColumn so each user only sees their own orders: 
public function ownerColumn(): ?string
{
    return 'user_id';
}
If you return null (the default), only admins can access the resource.

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Add validation rules

Define what fields are required when creating an order through the API: 
public function createRules(Request $request): array
{
    return [
        'order_number' => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
        'status' => ['required', 'string', 'in:pending,processing,shipped,delivered'],
        'total' => ['required', 'numeric', 'min:0'],
        'customer_name' => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
    ];
}
For updates, you can make fields optional with sometimes: 
public function updateRules(Request $request, Model $model): array
{
    return [
        'status' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', 'in:pending,processing,shipped,delivered'],
        'total' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'numeric', 'min:0'],
        'customer_name' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', 'max:255'],
    ];
}

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Make it searchable

Add columns that should be searchable via the ?search= query parameter: 
public function searchableColumns(): array
{
    return ['order_number', 'customer_name'];
}

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The complete resource

Here’s the finished OrderResource: 
<?php

namespace App\Exo\Resources;

use Exowizz\Exo\Resource;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class OrderResource extends Resource
{
    public function name(): string
    {
        return 'order';
    }

    public function model(): string
    {
        return 'App\Models\Order';
    }

    public function ownerColumn(): ?string
    {
        return 'user_id';
    }

    public function triggers(): array
    {
        return ['on_create', 'on_update', 'on_delete'];
    }

    public function transform(Model $model): array
    {
        return [
            'id' => $model->id,
            'order_number' => $model->order_number,
            'status' => $model->status,
            'total' => $model->total,
            'customer_name' => $model->customer_name,
            'created_at' => $model->created_at,
            'updated_at' => $model->updated_at,
        ];
    }

    public function searchableColumns(): array
    {
        return ['order_number', 'customer_name'];
    }

    public function createRules(Request $request): array
    {
        return [
            'order_number' => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
            'status' => ['required', 'string', 'in:pending,processing,shipped,delivered'],
            'total' => ['required', 'numeric', 'min:0'],
            'customer_name' => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
        ];
    }

    public function updateRules(Request $request, Model $model): array
    {
        return [
            'status' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', 'in:pending,processing,shipped,delivered'],
            'total' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'numeric', 'min:0'],
            'customer_name' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', 'max:255'],
        ];
    }
}

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Test it

List all resources to confirm your order resource is registered: 
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     http://your-app.test/exo-api/resources
Create an order: 
curl -X POST \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"order_number":"ORD-001","status":"pending","total":49.99,"customer_name":"Jane Smith"}' \
     http://your-app.test/exo-api/resources/order
Search for orders: 
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
     "http://your-app.test/exo-api/resources/order?search=Jane"

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Next steps

Resource transforms

Control exactly which fields appear in responses.

Webhooks

Get notified when orders are created or updated.