If you're like me, you don't like to keep repetitive ->where()'s in your routes file, this is where route patterns come in handy. Makes your routes file DRY too, especially when you'll need to change some expression.

When you're into making an API, you may wish to make the format of the responses you provide dynamic. If you're not using controllers, you would make a class, but if you use controllers, it's a pretty good idea to place it in the base controller. As well you may restructure your response data to include more fields, e.g. for testing purposes you may wish to also include some custom debug.