Customize $message when validation failed on `unique`?

https://laravel.com/docs/5.8/validation#custom-error-messages

That works great to override the field level validation message, but not the over all $message that is sent back, that is still "The given data was invalid." no matter what you set public function messages() to.

Any ideas how to override the "The given data was invalid." message, specifically?

Try This

 $validator = Validator::make($request->all(), [
           'unique:users'
        ]);

        if ($validator->fails()) {
            $message = ' User is not Unique    OR Any Message You want';
            return view('Your View')->withErrors($message);
        }

I guess if you want to return the error in API you need to json encode and return,

Just don't show that message. That's the general error message that shows up whenever there is at least one error. You don't have to show it. Just show the actual individual field errors from the errors portion of the array, not the general message key.

@error('email')
    <div class="alert alert-danger">{{ $message }}</div>
@enderror

https://laravel.com/docs/5.8/validation#quick-displaying-the-validation-errors

@CRONIX - Hi the Original Question is " I am building a JSON API", so your response applies to web response with html Tags, API needs json response.

the Best way to respond with errors in API is to throw an exception and add your exception with what ever message you want to return. BTW that's where you are getting the message ( The given data was invalid ) from, as the validation is using this exception from Laravel exceptions.

 class EmailExistsException extends Exception
{


    public $httpStatusCode = SymfonyResponse::HTTP_BAD_REQUEST;

    public $message = 'An account already exists.';

}

So I would us e something like this in controller

 $validator = Validator::make($request->all(), [
           'unique:users'
        ]);

        if ($validator->fails()) {
            
        throw new EmailExistsException();
        }