EM REST API CPT Plugin

A WordPress plugin that registers a custom post type (API Data) and exposes a set of authenticated REST API endpoints for creating, retrieving, and deleting entries programmatically.

Project: GitHub Repository
Author: esmondmccain.com

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Features

• Registers a custom post type: API Data
• Three REST API endpoints: POST, GET, and DELETE
• Plugin-managed API key authentication via X-API-Key header
• Custom meta fields per entry: source, received_at, external_id
• Custom admin list columns for source, external ID, and received timestamp
• Admin settings page under API Data → Settings — view/regenerate the API key and see live endpoint reference with example cURL commands
• API key auto-generated on plugin activation
• Proper HTTP status codes and WP_Error responses
• Input sanitization on all fields (sanitize_text_field, wp_kses_post)
• Full REST route argument schema with types, defaults, and validation callbacks

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Requirements

• WordPress 6.0+
• PHP 8.0+

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Installation

1. Download the latest release
2. Upload and extract em-rest-api-cpt.zip into /wp-content/plugins/.
3. Activate via Plugins → Installed Plugins.
4. Navigate to API Data → Settings to find your auto-generated API key.

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Authentication

All endpoints require an X-API-Key header. The key is generated on activation and can be regenerated at any time from the settings page.

X-API-Key: <your-api-key>

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Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/receive	Create a new API Data entry
GET	/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/entries	List entries (filterable, paginated)
DELETE	/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/entries/{id}	Permanently delete an entry

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Usage

Create an entry (POST)

Body (JSON):

{
  "title": "Entry title",
  "body": "Entry content here.",
  "source": "my-app",
  "external_id": "abc-123"
}

• title (required) — Post title
• body (required) — Post content (HTML allowed via wp_kses_post)
• source (optional) — Origin identifier, e.g. "crm", "mobile-app"
• external_id (optional) — ID from the external system for cross-referencing

Example cURL:

curl -X POST https://yoursite.domain/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/receive \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"title":"My Entry","body":"Hello world.","source":"demo","external_id":"ext-001"}'

Response (201):

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Entry created successfully.",
  "data": {
    "id": 42,
    "title": "My Entry",
    "source": "demo",
    "external_id": "ext-001",
    "received_at": "2026-05-07 14:30:00"
  }
}

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List entries (GET)

Query params (all optional):

Param	Type	Default	Description
source	string	—	Filter by source identifier
per_page	int	10	Results per page (max 100)
page	int	1	Page number

curl "https://yoursite.domain/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/entries?source=demo&per_page=5" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Response (200):

{
  "success": true,
  "total": 12,
  "total_pages": 3,
  "page": 1,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 42,
      "title": "My Entry",
      "body": "Hello world.",
      "source": "demo",
      "external_id": "ext-001",
      "received_at": "2026-05-07 14:30:00"
    }
  ]
}

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Delete an entry (DELETE)

curl -X DELETE https://yoursite.domain/wp-json/esmond-api/v1/entries/42 \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Response (200):

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Entry #42 has been permanently deleted."
}

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File Structure

em-rest-api-cpt/
├── em-rest-api-cpt.php       # Plugin bootstrap, singleton, activation hook
├── classes/
│   ├── register-cpt.php      # CPT registration, meta fields, admin columns
│   ├── admin-settings.php    # Settings page, API key management
│   └── make-endpoint.php     # REST routes: POST /receive, GET /entries, DELETE /entries/{id}
├── build/
└── package.json

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Error Responses

All errors return a standard WP REST error shape with an appropriate HTTP status code:

{
  "code": "rest_forbidden",
  "message": "Invalid or missing API key. Pass your key in the X-API-Key header.",
  "data": { "status": 401 }
}

Status	Code	Meaning
401	rest_forbidden	Missing or invalid API key
404	rest_not_found	Entry ID does not exist
500	rest_cannot_create	Post insert failed
500	rest_api_key_not_configured	No API key set in options

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Maintained by Esmond McCain.