Implement Swagger API Documentation in Laravel (2025 Guide)

In 2025, API-driven applications dominate modern web development — and Swagger remains the go-to standard for auto-generating API documentation.

If you’re working with Laravel 11 or 12, you can easily integrate Swagger using the L5-Swagger package. Here’s a complete step-by-step guide.

🚀 What Is L5-Swagger?

L5-Swagger is a Laravel wrapper for the Swagger-php library. It automatically scans your controllers and generates OpenAPI 3.0-compliant documentation.

Benefits:

🧰 Step 1 — Install L5-Swagger

composer require darkaonline/l5-swagger

Then publish the configuration:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider "L5Swagger\L5SwaggerServiceProvider"

⚙️ Step 2 — Configure Swagger in Laravel

In config/l5-swagger.php, update your settings:

'default' => [
    'api' => [
        'title' => 'Laravel API Documentation',
        'version' => '1.0.0',
        'description' => 'Interactive API docs generated using Swagger',
    ],
    'paths' => [
        'annotations' => [base_path('app/Http/Controllers')],
    ],
],

🧩 Step 3 — Add Swagger Annotations

Open a controller (e.g., UserController.php) and add:

/**
 * @OA\Get(
 *     path="/api/v1/users",
 *     summary="Get all users",
 *     tags={"Users"},
 *     @OA\Response(response=200, description="Successful operation")
 * )
 */
public function index() {
    return response()->json(User::all());
}

🏗️ Step 4 — Generate Swagger Documentation

Run the Artisan command:

php artisan l5-swagger:generate

Now, visit your Swagger UI endpoint:

👉 http://projectdomain.com/api/documentation

You’ll see a full interactive documentation dashboard.

🔐 Step 5 — Secure the Documentation (Optional)

In production, restrict access using middleware:

Route::group(['middleware' => 'auth'], function () {
    Route::get('/api/documentation', function () {
        return view('l5-swagger::index');
    });
});

⚡ Step 6 — Automate with CI/CD (Bonus)

Add the following command in your deployment script to always regenerate docs:

php artisan l5-swagger:generate --force

✅ Final Thoughts

With L5-Swagger, Laravel developers can document APIs effortlessly using annotations. It’s a must-have for any production-ready API.

Top Benefits: