Standard API Responses (Consistent Success and Errors)

A professional API does not return random shapes. It follows consistent patterns. ## Example standard Success: ```json { "success": true, "data": {...} } ``` Error: ```json { "success": false, "error": { "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR", "message": "..." } } ``` ## Helper functions ```php function json_ok($data, int $code = 200) { http_response_code($code); header("Content-Type: application/json"); echo json_encode(["success" => true, "data" => $data]); exit; } function json_error(string $codeName, string $message, int $code = 400) { http_response_code($code); header("Content-Type: application/json"); echo json_encode(["success" => false, "error" => ["code" => $codeName, "message" => $message]]); exit; } ``` ## Why this helps Frontends can handle responses reliably, and debugging is easier. > Next: Validation strategy, centralize validation instead of repeating everywhere.