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HTTP Methods

HTTP methods cheat sheet covering GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE with idempotency rules, request body syntax, and REST API examples.

12 min read
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CRUD Methods

GET - Retrieve Resource

javascript
// GET request
fetch('/api/users')
fetch('/api/users/123')
fetch('/api/users?page=2&limit=10')

// Properties
- Safe: Yes
- Idempotent: Yes
- Cacheable: Yes
- Body: No
✅ Safe - doesn't modify data
💡 Use query params for filtering
🔍 Cacheable by default

POST - Create Resource

javascript
// POST request
fetch('/api/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify(data)
})

// Properties
- Safe: No
- Idempotent: No
- Cacheable: No*
- Body: Yes
🆕 Creates new resources
⚠️ Not idempotent - multiple calls create multiple resources
📍 Should return 201 with Location header

PUT - Update/Replace Resource

javascript
// PUT request
fetch('/api/users/123', {
  method: 'PUT',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify(completeData)
})

// Properties
- Safe: No
- Idempotent: Yes
- Cacheable: No
- Body: Yes
🔄 Replaces entire resource
✅ Idempotent - same request produces same result
📝 Requires complete resource representation

PATCH - Partial Update

javascript
// PATCH request
fetch('/api/users/123', {
  method: 'PATCH',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ email: 'new@example.com' })
})

// Properties
- Safe: No
- Idempotent: No*
- Cacheable: No
- Body: Yes
🔧 Updates only specified fields
💡 More efficient than PUT for small changes
⚠️ Can be idempotent depending on implementation

DELETE - Remove Resource

javascript
// DELETE request
fetch('/api/users/123', {
  method: 'DELETE'
})

// Properties
- Safe: No
- Idempotent: Yes
- Cacheable: No
- Body: Optional
🗑️ Removes resources permanently
✅ Idempotent - deleting twice has same effect
💡 Usually returns 204 No Content

Other HTTP Methods

HEAD - Get Headers Only

javascript
// HEAD request
fetch('/api/users', {
  method: 'HEAD'
})

// Properties
- Safe: Yes
- Idempotent: Yes
- Cacheable: Yes
- Body: No
📋 Same as GET but no body
💡 Useful for checking existence
⚡ Saves bandwidth

OPTIONS - Get Allowed Methods

javascript
// OPTIONS request
fetch('/api/users', {
  method: 'OPTIONS'
})

// Properties
- Safe: Yes
- Idempotent: Yes
- Cacheable: No
- Body: Optional
🔍 Discovers API capabilities
✈️ Used for CORS preflight
📝 Returns Allow header

CONNECT & TRACE

javascript
// CONNECT - Establish tunnel
CONNECT server.example.com:443 HTTP/1.1

// TRACE - Echo request
TRACE /api/test HTTP/1.1

// Properties
CONNECT: Proxy tunneling
TRACE: Debugging (usually disabled)
🚇 CONNECT: For proxy tunneling
🔍 TRACE: Debugging (security risk)
⚠️ Usually disabled in production

Method Properties

Safety & Idempotency

javascript
// Safe Methods (no side effects)
GET, HEAD, OPTIONS, TRACE

// Idempotent Methods (same result)
GET, HEAD, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, TRACE

// Neither Safe nor Idempotent
POST, PATCH*
🛡️ Safe = no side effects
🔄 Idempotent = same result on retry
💡 Important for caching and retry logic

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