A resource controller organizes the standard CRUD actions for a resource in one controller. Registering Route::resource('photos', PhotoController::class) creates conventional routes for index, create, store, show, edit, update, and destroy.

This convention gives routes and controller methods predictable names and reduces repetitive declarations. For JSON APIs, Route::apiResource excludes the browser-only create and edit actions. Resource controllers are a good fit for ordinary CRUD behavior, while unusual workflows are often clearer as dedicated actions or separate controllers.