Custom endpoint registration in Wordpress - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Custom Endpoint Registration in WordPress

📖 Scenario: You are building a WordPress site and want to add a new custom endpoint to the REST API. This endpoint will provide a simple message when accessed.

🎯 Goal: Create a custom REST API endpoint in WordPress that returns a JSON message.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a function to register a custom REST API route

Use the register_rest_route function with a namespace and route

Add a callback function that returns a JSON response

Hook the registration function to the rest_api_init action

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Custom endpoints let you extend WordPress REST API to provide your own data or functionality for apps or frontend JavaScript.

💼 Career

Knowing how to register custom endpoints is useful for WordPress developers building plugins, themes, or headless WordPress applications.

1

Create the custom endpoint registration function

Create a function called my_custom_endpoint that will be used to register the custom REST API route.

Wordpress

# Your code here
// Create a function called my_custom_endpoint

Need a hint?

Start by defining a function named my_custom_endpoint with empty body.

2

Add the REST route registration inside the function

Inside the my_custom_endpoint function, use register_rest_route to register a route with namespace 'myplugin/v1' and route 'hello'. The route should accept GET requests and use a callback function named my_custom_endpoint_callback.

Wordpress

<?php
function my_custom_endpoint() {
    // Use register_rest_route with namespace 'myplugin/v1' and route 'hello'
    // Set methods to 'GET' and callback to 'my_custom_endpoint_callback'
    // Your code here
}

Need a hint?

Use register_rest_route with the exact namespace and route strings, and set the methods and callback keys in the array.

3

Create the callback function for the endpoint

Create a function called my_custom_endpoint_callback that returns an array with a key message and value 'Hello from custom endpoint!'.

Wordpress

 'GET',
        'callback' => 'my_custom_endpoint_callback',
    ));
}

// Create the callback function here
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Define a function named my_custom_endpoint_callback that returns the specified array.

4

Hook the registration function to the REST API initialization

Add an action hook that calls my_custom_endpoint on the rest_api_init action.

Wordpress

 'GET',
        'callback' => 'my_custom_endpoint_callback',
    ));
}

function my_custom_endpoint_callback() {
    return array('message' => 'Hello from custom endpoint!');
}

// Hook the function to rest_api_init
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use add_action with the rest_api_init hook and the function name my_custom_endpoint.