HTTP Method Reference
Comprehensive reference guide for all HTTP methods with properties, use cases, and common status codes
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HTTP Method Reference
Comprehensive reference guide for all HTTP methods with properties, use cases, and common status codes
🔒All processing happens in your browser. No data is uploaded.
Search by method name, description, or use case...
Quick Comparison
| Method | Safe | Idempotent | Cacheable | Request Body | Response Body |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GET | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional | Yes |
HEAD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional | No |
POST | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
PUT | No | Yes | No | Yes | Optional |
PATCH | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
DELETE | No | Yes | No | Optional | Optional |
OPTIONS | Yes | Yes | No | Optional | Yes |
TRACE | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
CONNECT | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Method Details
GET
Retrieve a representation of the specified resource. GET requests should only retrieve data.HEAD
Same as GET, but the server must not return a message body in the response.POST
Submit data to the specified resource, often causing a change in state or side effects on the server.PUT
Replace the entire target resource with the request payload.PATCH
Apply partial modifications to a resource.DELETE
Remove the specified resource from the server.OPTIONS
Describe the communication options for the target resource.TRACE
Perform a message loop-back test along the path to the target resource.CONNECT
Establish a tunnel to the server identified by the target resource.Property Definitions
Safe:A method is safe if it does not alter the state of the server. In other words, a method is safe if it leads to a read-only operation. Safe methods can be cached and prefetched without risk.
Idempotent:A method is idempotent if the intended effect on the server of making a single request is the same as the effect of making several identical requests. All safe methods are idempotent, as well as PUT and DELETE.
Cacheable:A cacheable response is an HTTP response that can be cached to be reused for subsequent requests. GET and HEAD responses are typically cacheable.