About HTTP Method Reference

Quick reference for all HTTP methods with use cases and safety info. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Networking collection.

Use Cases

• Checking whether PUT or PATCH is appropriate for an API endpoint
• Reviewing HTTP method safety properties during API design
• Teaching junior developers the difference between POST and PUT
• Referencing allowed methods when configuring CORS headers

Tips

• Check the idempotency column to pick the right method for retries
• Review safety info to understand which methods modify server state
• Use the search bar to quickly find a specific HTTP method

Fun Facts

• HTTP/1.0 (RFC 1945, 1996) defined only GET, HEAD, and POST — methods like PUT, DELETE, and PATCH came later with HTTP/1.1 and RFC 5789.
• The PATCH method was not part of the original HTTP spec; it was added in March 2010 via RFC 5789 to support partial resource updates.
• There are exactly 9 standard HTTP methods defined across the core RFCs: GET, HEAD, POST, PUT, DELETE, CONNECT, OPTIONS, TRACE, and PATCH.

FAQ

Which methods are covered?

GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS, CONNECT, TRACE. Plus their idempotency and safety classifications.

What's 'safe' vs 'idempotent'?

Safe: doesn't change state (GET, HEAD, OPTIONS). Idempotent: repeating doesn't change the result beyond the first call (GET, PUT, DELETE). POST is neither.

When should I use PUT vs PATCH?

PUT replaces the whole resource; PATCH updates specific fields. PATCH is idempotent only if the patch is absolute (not relative like 'increment counter').

What about WebDAV methods?

Not covered — WebDAV extensions (COPY, MOVE, LOCK) are specialized. This reference focuses on the REST-core methods.