How to Create an Admin Menu and Controller in Magento 2

In this guide, you will learn how to add a custom admin menu and an admin controller in Magento 2.
We will cover all steps from configuration to routing and controller implementation.

If you want to learn how to create a module, you can check our blog Create a Module in Magento2

Magento 2 uses XML configuration files to define admin menus and URL routing.
An admin controller processes backend requests and renders the proper admin page.

Every admin controller needs a route file.
Create routes.xml under etc/adminhtml/ in your module folder.

Here’s how the file structure should look:

app/code/Vendor/Module/etc/adminhtml/routes.xml

Use this XML to register your admin route:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
 xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:App/etc/routes.xsd">
  <router id="admin">
    <route id="vendor_module" frontName="vendor_module">
      <module name="Vendor_Module" />
    </route>
  </router>
</config>

This tells Magento 2 to recognize backend URLs under vendor_module/*.

You must create a menu item to access your admin controller.
Create menu.xml inside etc/adminhtml/.

Add this basic structure to register your menu:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
 xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:module:Magento_Backend:etc/menu.xsd">
  <menu>
    <add id="Vendor_Module::main"
         title="My Module"
         module="Vendor_Module"
         sortOrder="10"
         resource="Vendor_Module::main"/>
    <add id="Vendor_Module::subitem"
         title="Manage Items"
         module="Vendor_Module"
         sortOrder="20"
         parent="Vendor_Module::main"
         action="vendor_module/manage/index"
         resource="Vendor_Module::subitem"/>
  </menu>
</config>

This configuration generates a parent menu My Module and a child Manage Items.

• id is a unique identifier.
• title labels the menu item.
• parent nests the child under the parent item.
• action defines the controller path to load.

Controllers handle the logic when a menu item is clicked.
Create a new folder Controller/Adminhtml/Manage under your module root.

Now add the file Index.php with this structure:

<?php
namespace Vendor\Module\Controller\Adminhtml\Manage;

use Magento\Backend\App\Action;
use Magento\Backend\App\Action\Context;
use Magento\Framework\View\Result\PageFactory;

class Index extends Action
{
    protected $resultPageFactory;

    public function __construct(
        Context $context,
        PageFactory $resultPageFactory
    ) {
        parent::__construct($context);
        $this->resultPageFactory = $resultPageFactory;
    }

    public function execute()
    {
        $resultPage = $this->resultPageFactory->create();
        $resultPage->setActiveMenu('Vendor_Module::subitem');
        $resultPage->getConfig()->getTitle()->prepend(__('Manage Items'));
        return $resultPage;
    }

    protected function _isAllowed()
    {
        return $this->_authorization->isAllowed('Vendor_Module::subitem');
    }
}

This controller renders the admin page when you click your menu.

• execute() loads a page layout and title.
• setActiveMenu() highlights your menu item.
• _isAllowed() ensures proper permissions.

After creating files, run the following:

• php bin/magento cache:flush

Refresh your admin panel to see the new menu. Clicking it should load your admin page.

You learned how to:

• Register a backend route.
• Create an admin menu item.
• Build a controller to render content.

By following this structure, you can add powerful admin functionality to any Magento 2 module.

You can also Download sample code form github