HTTP Methods

GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and what each one means.

Backend Engineer · Junior · core Frontend Engineer · Junior · core Data Engineer · Junior Data Analyst · Mid-level

Also known as: HTTP verbs, request methods, GET POST PUT DELETE, HTTP verbs

The method (or “verb”) at the start of a request says what you want to do with the resource at that URL.

Method	Meaning	Typical use
GET	Read	Fetch a page or `GET /users/42`
POST	Create / perform an action	`POST /orders` with the new order in the body
PUT	Replace	`PUT /users/42` with the complete new user
PATCH	Partially update	`PATCH /users/42` with only the changed fields
DELETE	Remove	`DELETE /orders/917`
HEAD	Like GET, headers only	Check existence or size
OPTIONS	Ask what’s allowed	Used by browsers for CORS preflight

Two properties that matter

Safe: doesn’t change anything on the server. GET and HEAD should be safe. This is why browsers, crawlers and caches feel free to call them freely. Never make a GET that deletes or changes data, because a link prefetcher could trigger it.
Idempotent: doing it twice has the same effect as once. GET, PUT and DELETE are idempotent; POST is not, so two identical POSTs can create two orders. That’s why retries need care (see safe and idempotent methods).

Common confusion

PUT vs PATCH: PUT sends the whole resource and replaces it; PATCH sends only what changes.
POST for everything works but loses information (caching, retry rules). Pick the method that matches the meaning, as in REST.
Browsers’ HTML forms only do GET and POST. Other methods come from JavaScript or API clients.

A method doesn’t enforce anything by itself; the server’s code decides what each one does. Following the conventions makes your API predictable to everyone else.