# CakePHP 3 Backend APIs CRM

Made by a human — hello! 👋

This repository contains a backend API implementation for a CRM built on CakePHP 3. The project provides RESTful endpoints to manage common CRM resources (users, leads, clients, notes, etc.) and is structured to be easy to extend and integrate with frontend applications or mobile clients.

I wrote this README to help you get up and running quickly and to explain where to look when you want to extend or debug the code.

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## Table of contents

- About
- Features
- Tech stack
- Requirements
- Installation
- Configuration
- Running the app
- API overview & examples
- Authentication
- Testing
- Development tips
- Contributing
- License & contact

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## About

This is a CakePHP 3 application that exposes backend APIs for CRM functionality. The focus is on providing clean controllers, models, and API responses so you can plug in any frontend or client.

If you're inspecting the codebase, start with:
- `src/Controller/` — controllers and actions that define API endpoints
- `src/Model/Table/` — table classes and validation rules
- `config/routes.php` — API routing
- `config/app.php` & `config/app_local.php` — application configuration (database, salts, etc.)

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## Features

- RESTful API endpoints for core CRM entities
- Organized controllers and model layer following CakePHP conventions
- JSON API responses ready for frontend/mobile consumption
- Environment-based configuration using `config/app_local.php`
- Recommended: JWT or token-based authentication support (check AppController for auth setup)

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## Tech stack

- PHP 7.1+ (or compatible version for CakePHP 3.x)
- CakePHP 3.x
- MySQL / MariaDB (or any DB supported by CakePHP)
- Composer for dependency management

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## Requirements

- PHP (compatible with CakePHP 3.x)
- Composer
- MySQL / MariaDB (or another supported DB)
- Git

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## Installation (local)

1. Clone the repository
   - git clone https://github.com/codewithnagesh/Cakephp-3-Backend-APIs-CRM.git
   - cd Cakephp-3-Backend-APIs-CRM

2. Install dependencies
   - composer install

3. Copy configuration
   - cp config/app.default.php config/app.php
   - cp config/app_local.default.php config/app_local.php
   - Edit `config/app_local.php` with your DB credentials and any salts/keys

4. Database
   - Create your database (example: `crm_db`)
   - Update `config/app_local.php` datasource settings to point to the database
   - If the project includes migrations, run:
     - ./bin/cake migrations migrate
   - Otherwise, import the SQL schema if provided (look for a `sql/` or `schema.sql` file)

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## Configuration

- DB settings: `config/app_local.php` -> `Datasources.default`
- App salts/keys: `config/app.php` (or `app_local.php` overrides)
- Routes: `config/routes.php` — check how API routes are prefixed (commonly `/api`)

Tip: CakePHP uses `config/app_local.php` for local overrides. Keep secrets out of version control.

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## Running the app

You can use PHP's built-in server for local development:

- Option A (CakePHP console if available):
  - ./bin/cake server
- Option B (PHP built-in server):
  - php -S localhost:8765 -t webroot

Then open http://localhost:8765/ or call API routes at http://localhost:8765/api/...

Replace port/host as needed.

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## API overview & examples

The exact routes depend on the project's `config/routes.php`. Common endpoints you may find:
- GET /api/users
- POST /api/users
- GET /api/leads
- POST /api/leads
- GET /api/clients
- POST /api/clients

Example: fetch list of leads (replace host and token as necessary)

curl example:
curl -X GET "http://localhost:8765/api/leads" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_token_here>"

Create a lead:
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8765/api/leads" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_token_here>" \
  -d '{"name":"Jane Doe","email":"jane@example.com","source":"website"}'

Note: Replace endpoints, payload fields, and header requirements according to your controllers and request validation. See `src/Controller` and `src/Model/Table/*` for the exact field names and rules.

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## Authentication

Authentication may be implemented in different ways:
- Token-based (JWT) — common for API-only backends
- Session-based / BasicAuth — older CakePHP setups

Check `src/Controller/AppController.php` for the Auth component configuration and to see which authentication mechanism is enabled. If JWT is used, you will need to configure a signing secret in `config/app_local.php`.

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## Testing

If PHPUnit is configured:
- vendor/bin/phpunit

If migrations and fixtures are available, tests should seed a test database. Check `phpunit.xml` for DB settings and bootstrap behaviors.

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## Development tips

- Follow CakePHP conventions: Table classes in `src/Model/Table`, Entities in `src/Model/Entity`.
- Keep API transformations in View/Cell/Serializer layers instead of bloating controllers.
- Use the QueryBuilder for complex queries and eager-load associations with `contain()`.
- Add API versioning from the start (e.g., `/api/v1/`) for smoother upgrades.

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## Contributing

I appreciate contributions. If you'd like to help:
1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch
3. Open a PR describing your changes and why
4. Keep changes scoped and include tests if possible

If you'd like me to add contribution templates, testing help, or CI, say the word and I can draft those too.

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## Troubleshooting

- 500 errors: check `logs/error.log` or enable debug in `config/app_local.php` (`'debug' => true`) while developing.
- DB connection errors: ensure `Datasources.default` in `config/app_local.php` has correct host/db/user/password.
- Missing routes: open `config/routes.php` to confirm the prefix and endpoints.

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## License

See the repository for license details. If none is present and you want one, MIT is a permissive default you can add.

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## Contact

If you need help with this repo or want me to improve the README with endpoint docs, tests, or CI setup, tell me what you want documented next and I’ll add it.

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Thanks for reading — hope this gets you running quickly. If you want, I can:
- Generate a detailed API reference by scanning controllers and routes
- Add example Postman collection or OpenAPI spec
- Draft CONTRIBUTING.md and a simple CI workflow

Pick one and I’ll get started.