HTTP POST vs. HTTP PUT | Key Differences

HTTP POST vs. HTTP PUT, Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a fundamental protocol used for communication on the World Wide Web. Two commonly used HTTP methods for sending data to a server are POST and PUT. They have different purposes and behaviors. Let’s break down the differences between POST and PUT.

HTTP POST vs. HTTP PUT

HTTP POST

Purpose:

1. Creating Resources: The primary purpose of the POST method is to create a new resource on the server. It is used when you want to add data to a server or create a new entry in a database.

Idempotent:

2. Non-Idempotent: POST requests are non-idempotent, meaning that sending the same request multiple times may lead to different results. For example, if you submit a POST request to create a new user, repeating the request will create multiple users with different IDs.

Safety:

3. Non-Safe: POST requests are considered non-safe because they can have side effects on the server. They may modify data or trigger processes.

Usage Example:

POST /api/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com"
}

HTTP PUT

Purpose:

1. Updating Resources: The primary purpose of the PUT method is to update an existing resource on the server. It is used when you want to modify an existing entry in a database or update data.

Idempotent:

2. Idempotent: PUT requests are idempotent, meaning that sending the same request multiple times will produce the same result as sending it once. If you update a resource with a PUT request, it will be updated consistently.

Safety:

3. Safe: PUT requests are considered safe because they don’t have side effects on the server. They only update the resource if it exists; otherwise, they may create it.

Usage Example:

PUT /api/users/123
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "name": "Updated Name",
    "email": "updated@example.com"
}

HTTP POST vs. HTTP PUT | Key Differences Summary

Here’s a summary of the key differences between POST and PUT:

• Purpose: POST is for creating new resources, while PUT is for updating existing resources.
• Idempotent: POST is non-idempotent (multiple requests can have different effects), while PUT is idempotent (multiple requests have the same effect).
• Safety: POST is non-safe (can have side effects), while PUT is safe (no side effects, only updates if the resource exists).

In summary, understanding the differences between POST and PUT is crucial for designing and implementing RESTful APIs and web applications. Use POST to create new resources and PUT to update existing ones, keeping in mind their idempotent and safety characteristics.