Project Introduction

In this first video we are going to cover the project scope, thinking about the endpoints we will likely need, and what kind of JSON data we are going to work with.

This is important as it not only defines the way our endpoints will operate, but could also allow you to start working on your front end before your back end has been created. You may even wish to hand over the front end work to another team member, or a freelancer, and get them building your front end as you work on the back end.

It's really important to think about how your API will be used, and how you would like to use your API.

At this point you are free to imagine your API operating however you like - changing your mind at this point is cheap. After this exercise you will have fleshed out some basics of how you would like to interact with your system. This may not be the final outcome, but it's your starting point and future reference.

We're going to test our API using Behat 3. So, once we have our server ready and raring to go, we will first get Symfony on there, and then Behat and PHPSpec. Once that's done, we can initialise our project for Behat and start writing our first feature outline. This will come in the next video.

Inside our Behat features we will use the expected JSON data to shape our scenarios, which in turn will shape the PHPSpec specifications.

This video is a little more high level than most. I have seen questions being asked on Reddit about how developers like to work. I wanted to show my workflow, thought processes, and so on.

I find this approach works for me, when working on my own projects. Working with a larger team, or clients makes things a lot trickier, as you are beholden to them. However, working this way on your own gets you into the process and provides structure, which can subsequently be applied to client projects.