About
HTTP method defines a set of request methods to indicate the purpose of the request and what is expected if the request is successful1. Often referred to as an HTTP verb (even though they can be nouns), and it indicates the action that the HTTP request expects from the queried server2.
Examples
Two of the most common HTTP methods are ‘GET’ request, which expects information back in return, and ‘POST’ request, which typically indicates the client is submitting information to the web server e.g. information such as submitted password and username.
HTTP methods
Common method properties
Each request method has its own semantics, but some characteristics are shared across multiple methods, specifically request methods can be safe, idempotent, or cacheable.
HTTP method semantics
| Method | Safe | Idempotent | Cacheable |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HEAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OPTIONS | Yes | Yes | No |
| TRACE | Yes | Yes | No |
| PUT | No | Yes | No |
| DELETE | No | Yes | No |
| POST | No | No | Conditional^ |
| PATCH | No | No | Conditional^ |
| CONNECT | No | No | No |
^ POST and PATCH are cacheable when responses explicitly include
freshness information and a matching Content-Location header.
Anki
Links
References
Mozilla Developer Network. “HTTP method”. Available at: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Reference/Methods. (Accessed: ). ↩︎
Cloud Flare. “Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)”. Available at: https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ddos/glossary/hypertext-transfer-protocol-http/. (Accessed: ). ↩︎