Comparison with Other Mock API Tools
The following table compares MockAPI-PHP with
other major mock API tools such as json-server,
MSW, WireMock, and Prism.
| Aspect | MockAPI-PHP | json-server | Mock Service Worker (MSW) | WireMock | Prism (Stoplight) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | PHP | Node.js | JavaScript | Java | Node.js |
| Ease of Installation | ★☆☆ (Very easy) | ★☆☆ (Very easy) | ★★☆ (Environment-dependent) | ★★★ (Heavy) | ★★☆ |
| Response Definition | PHP logic + JSON files | Static JSON files | Defined in JavaScript | JSON or Java config | OpenAPI-based |
| Routing Control | ✅ Flexible (via PHP) | △ Pattern-based | ✅ Defined via rest.get() etc. |
✅ URL pattern match | ✅ OpenAPI-driven |
| Dynamic Response | ✅ Fully dynamic via PHP | △ Limited | ✅ Supported in JS | ✅ Supported via scripting | △ Difficult |
| Query/Param Handling | ✅ Fully controllable | △ Limited | ✅ Fully supported | ✅ Fully supported | △ Schema-based conditions only |
| Header/Method Handling | ✅ Fully supported | △ Limited | ✅ Fully supported | ✅ Fully supported | ✅ |
| Error & Auth Simulation | ✅ Fully programmable | ✕ Difficult | ✅ Supported via logic | ✅ Fully configurable | △ Limited branching |
| Delay & Timing Control | ✅ Flexible via sleep() etc. |
✕ | ✅ Via setTimeout() etc. |
✅ Via fixedDelay etc. |
△ Difficult |
| OpenAPI Integration | ✅ Built-in schema generation | ✕ | ✕ | △ Can export | ✅ Native |
| Schema Auto-Generation | ✅ From JSON responses | ✕ | ✕ | △ Via converter tools | ✅ |
| Example Embedding | ✅ Automatic (with trimming) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✅ |
| Best Fit For | PHP-based projects | Node.js projects | Frontend UI development | Java-based projects | API-spec-first organizations |
| Learning Curve | ★☆☆ (Low for PHP devs) | ★☆☆ | ★★☆ | ★★★ | ★★☆ |
| Logging/Tracking | ✅ Built-in logging (incl. validation) | ✕ | ✅ Via DevTools | ✅ Detailed logs | △ |
| Flexibility | ◎ Maximum (code-driven) | ○ Great for simple mocks | △ UI-dev focused | ○ Full-featured | △ Some constraints |
Summary of Advantages
- MockAPI-PHP allows defining mock responses with dynamic logic using PHP.
- Especially well-suited for PHP backend projects or frontend-backend decoupled development where the backend is not yet ready.
- Unlike GUI or OpenAPI-based tools, MockAPI-PHP focuses on code-driven API mocking.
- Comes with built-in OpenAPI 3.0 schema generation from response structures (from v1.2 onwards).