PHP Game Scores API Development

I’m upgrading my browser-based game site and need a clean, well-documented RESTful API in PHP that focuses on scores, rankings, and player progress. Players will be identified through traditional email-and-password accounts, so the endpoints should work smoothly with a standard registration / login flow (I’m leaning toward JWT tokens for stateless sessions, but I’m open to other secure approaches you suggest).

The core of the project is threefold:
• Save scores and immediately return updated leaderboards in JSON.
• Track player levels, achievements, and overall game progress so the front-end can display them at any time.
• Build in server-side validation and anti-tamper checks to keep cheating or spoofed submissions out of the database.

Under the hood I expect modern PHP (7.4+ or 8), clean OOP practices, and a MySQL or MariaDB backend. Please structure the code so adding new games or modes later is straightforward, and include concise set-up instructions plus example cURL or Postman requests for every endpoint.

I’ll review deliverables on three points: endpoint coverage, security against forged requests, and clarity of documentation. If these boxes are ticked, we’re done—otherwise I’ll send feedback for quick revisions.