HTTP request methods
HTTP defines a set of request methods to indicate the purpose of the request and what is expected if the request is successful. Although they can also be nouns, these request methods are sometimes referred to as HTTP verbs. Each request method has it's own semantics, but some characteristics are shared across multiple methods, specifically request methods can be safe, idempotent, or cacheable.
GET
-
The
GET
method requests a representation of the specified resource. Requests usingGET
should only retrieve data and should not contain a request content. HEAD
-
The
HEAD
method asks for a response identical to aGET
request, but without a response body. POST
-
The
POST
method submits an entity to the specified resource, often causing a change in state or side effects on the server. PUT
-
The
PUT
method replaces all current representations of the target resource with the request content. DELETE
-
The
DELETE
method deletes the specified resource. CONNECT
-
The
CONNECT
method establishes a tunnel to the server identified by the target resource. OPTIONS
-
The
OPTIONS
method describes the communication options for the target resource. TRACE
-
The
TRACE
method performs a message loop-back test along the path to the target resource. PATCH
-
The
PATCH
method applies partial modifications to a resource.
Safe, idempotent, and cacheable request methods
The following table lists HTTP request methods and their categorization in terms of safety, cacheability, and idempotency.
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.
Specifications
Specification |
---|
HTTP Semantics # CONNECT |
HTTP Semantics # DELETE |
HTTP Semantics # GET |
HTTP Semantics # HEAD |
HTTP Semantics # OPTIONS |
HTTP Semantics # POST |
HTTP Semantics # PUT |
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