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HTTP Methods

HTTP methods define the action a client wants to perform on a resource. Each method has defined semantics for safety, idempotency, and cacheability. Defined in RFC 9110 §9.

MethodDescriptionSafeIdempotentCacheableBodySpec
GETGET retrieves a representation of the specified resource.YesYesYesNo / YesRFC 9110
POSTPOST submits data to create a resource or trigger an action.NoNoNoYes / YesRFC 9110
PUTPUT replaces a resource entirely with the supplied representation.NoYesNoYes / NoRFC 9110
PATCHPATCH applies partial modifications to a resource.NoNoNoYes / YesRFC 5789
DELETEDELETE removes the specified resource.NoYesNoNo / NoRFC 9110
HEADHEAD is identical to GET but the server returns only headers, not the response body.YesYesYesNo / NoRFC 9110
OPTIONSOPTIONS describes the communication options for the target resource.YesYesNoNo / YesRFC 9110
TRACETRACE performs a message loop-back test along the path to the target resource.YesYesNoNo / YesRFC 9110
CONNECTCONNECT establishes a TCP tunnel through an HTTP proxy to a target host and port.NoNoNoNo / NoRFC 9110
QUERYQUERY is a safe, idempotent HTTP method that carries a request body describing the query to perform.YesYesYesYes / YesRFC 10008

Body column shows Request Body / Response Body availability.