Common HTTP Methods

What is an API?

An API is an Application Programming Interface. It is a set of rules that allow applications to talk to each other. The developer creates the API on the server and enables the client to talk to it.

What is REST?

REST determines what an API looks like. It stands for “Representational State Transfer,” a set of rules developers follow when they create their API.

What is a Method?

In RESTful API, the client and server communicate using the HTTP protocol. A REST API is a set of HTTP-based standards that control how different applications communicate with one another. The client sends a request to the server, and the server processes this request and sends back a response. There are 4 basic methods, which are also referred to as CRUD operations.

Here are the HTTP methods that are commonly used in RESTful APIs:

1. GET Request

This request retrieves all resources in a collection and is cached from a server. If you perform a GET request, the server looks for the requested data and sends it back to you. GET Requests are bookmarked and stored in the browser history.

Properties :

• It performs a READ operation.
• It should never be used when dealing with sensitive data.
• It has length restrictions.
• It is used only to retrieve data i.e file retrieve, JSON retrieve.
• It is the default request method.

2. POST Request

This request is used to create a new resource in a collection on a server. In a POST request, either of the following actions can happen.

• The server either creates a new entry in the database.
• It performs an action and tells whether the creation is successful.
• It returns the action results according to the service design.

Properties :

• Requests are never cached.
• Requests are not stored in browser history.
• The request cannot be bookmarked.
• Requests have no restrictions on data length.

3. PUT/PATCH Request

Primarily used for updating a resource on a server. For example, if you perform a PUT/PATCH request, the server updates an entry in the database and tells you whether the update is successful. In other words, a PUT/PATCH request performs an UPDATE operation.

Properties:

• Puts a file or resource at a specific URI.

• It replaces a particular file or resource which needs to be modified.

• It is responses are not cacheable.

Properties:

• PATCH basically updates partial resources i.e one or more fields of the existing resources.

Note: URI vs URL

URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), is a character sequence that identifies a logical (abstract) or physical resource -usually, but not always, connected to the internet. An URI distinguishes one resource from another. URIs enable internet protocols to facilitate interactions between and among these resources.

An URI has two subsets; URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and URN (Uniform Resource Number). If it contains only a name, it means it is not a URL. Instead of direct URI, we mostly see the URL and URN in the real world.

URL or Uniform Resource Locator is used to find the location of the resource on the web. It is a reference for a resource and a way to access that resource. A URL always shows a unique resource, and it can be an HTML page, a CSS document, an image, etc.

An URL uses a protocol for accessing the resource, which can be HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc.

4. DELETE

Properties:

• This request is used to delete a resource from a server.
• The server deletes an entry in the database and tells whether the deletion is successful or not.
• DELETE request performs a DELETE operation.

Let’s read a story to be more familiar with the status method.

References:

https://medium.com/altogic/backend-basics-restful-api-api-rest-methods-json-examples-429744ba0831