HTTP Methods (Verbs) Reference

Requests a representation of the specified resource. It is the most common HTTP method and should have no side effects on the server.

Identical to GET but the server must not return a message body in the response. Used to inspect headers - size, type, last-modified - without downloading the payload.

Submits an entity to the specified resource, often causing a change in state or side effect on the server. Used for creating resources, form submissions, and RPC-style calls.

Replaces the target resource entirely with the request payload, or creates it if it does not exist at the given URL. The client dictates the resource identifier, so PUT is idempotent.

Applies a partial modification to a resource, described by the patch document in the request body (e.g. JSON Patch or JSON Merge Patch). Only the specified fields change; the rest of the resource is untouched.

Removes the target resource, or requests its removal. Once deleted, subsequent requests typically return 404 or 410.

WebDAV extension (RFC 4918) that copies a resource from the Request-URI to the URI given in the Destination header. Can copy collections recursively based on the Depth header.

WebDAV extension (RFC 4918) that moves a resource from the Request-URI to the Destination URI, equivalent to a COPY followed by a DELETE of the source. Preserves the resource across the rename or relocation.

Asks the server which communication options (methods, headers, CORS rules) are available for the target resource. Widely used by browsers as the CORS preflight before non-simple cross-origin requests.

Performs a message loop-back test along the path to the target resource, so the client can see exactly what proxies received. The final recipient echoes the request back as the message body of a 200 response.

Requests that an HTTP proxy establish a TCP tunnel to the origin server identified by the request-target, typically for HTTPS traffic. After a 2xx response, the connection is no longer HTTP - it becomes an opaque byte pipe.