HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) request methods play a crucial role in how clients interact with web servers to request and manipulate data. Understanding the differences between HTTP GET and POST methods is fundamental for web developers and API designers.
Table of Contents
What are HTTP Request Methods?
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) request methods are used by clients to request actions to be performed on a resource identified by a URL. Each request method has a specific purpose and indicates the desired action to be taken by the server. There are total 9 HTTP request methods:
GET: Fetches data from a resource. It should only retrieve data and never change anything on the server.
POST: Sends data to the server to create a new resource. The data is included in the request body.
PUT: Replaces an existing resource with new data. It’s idempotent, meaning sending the same request multiple times has the same effect.
DELETE: Removes a resource from the server. Also idempotent—deleting something twice won’t cause extra issues.
PATCH: Partially updates a resource by sending only the fields that need to change.
HEAD: Works like GET, but only returns headers (no response body). Useful for checking if a resource exists or getting metadata.
OPTIONS: Asks the server which HTTP methods are supported for a resource. Often used for CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) checks.
TRACE: Sends the request back to the client, showing any modifications made by intermediate servers. Used for debugging.
CONNECT: Creates a secure tunnel to another server, often used for HTTPS proxies.
What is the HTTP GET Method?
The HTTP GET method is used to retrieve data from a server without modifying it. When a client, such as a web browser or an API client, sends a GET request, it asks the server for a specific resource identified by a URL. The server processes the request and responds by returning the requested data, which could be in the form of JSON, HTML, XML, or another format.
GET requests are commonly used in web applications to fetch content, such as retrieving user details, or displaying search results. Since GET requests do not alter any data on the server, they are safe and can be cached to save the bandwidth. For example, you can use Marketstack API Intraday endpoint to retrieve stock prices.
What are the Differences Between HTTP GET and POST?
HTTP GET and POST are two of the most commonly used HTTP request methods, but they have different purposes and behaviors. Here are the key differences between them:
- Purpose:
- GET: Used to request data from a specified resource.
- POST: Used to submit data to be processed to a specified resource.
- Data Handling:
- GET: Sends data in the URL query string. Data is visible to everyone in the URL.
- POST: Sends data in the request body. Data is not visible in the URL.
- Security:
- GET: Less secure than POST because data is exposed in the URL.
- POST: More secure than GET because data is not exposed in the URL.
- Data Length:
- GET: Limited by the maximum length of a URL. Typically around 2048 characters.
- POST: Not limited by URL length. Can send large amounts of data.
- Caching:
- GET: Can be cached by the browser. Data can be bookmarked and stored in browser history.
- POST: Cannot be cached. Data is not stored in browser history.
- Idempotent:
- GET: Idempotent. Multiple identical requests will have the same effect as a single request.
- POST: Not idempotent. Multiple identical requests may have different effects.
- Bookmarking:
- GET: Can be bookmarked.
- POST: Cannot be bookmarked.
- Backward/Forward Button:
- GET: Can be safely used with the browser’s back/forward button.
- POST: Using the back/forward button may resubmit the data.
- Use Cases:
- GET: Suitable for retrieving data where the request has no side effects (e.g., retrieving search results).
- POST: Suitable for operations that may change the server state (e.g., submitting a form, or uploading a file).
What are the Common Use Cases of Using the HTTP GET Method?
In this section, we will discuss the most preferred data of enterprises with the HTTP GET method requirement.
Geolocation
Obtaining geolocation data is one of the most popular use cases for businesses and developers today. They obtain this data via HTTP GET from any IP geolocation API such as the IPstack. To access geolocation data corresponding to an IP address from the IPstack API via HTTP GET, simply make an API call to standard endpoint.
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https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155?access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY |
In the ‘YOUR_ACCESS_KEY’ field in this request URL, the user can paste their API key and send an HTTP GET request to this URL.
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{ "ip": "134.201.250.155", "type": "ipv4", "continent_code": "NA", "continent_name": "North America", "country_code": "US", "country_name": "United States", "region_code": "CA", "region_name": "California", "city": "Los Angeles", "zip": "90013", "latitude": 34.0655, "longitude": -118.2405, "msa": "31100", "dma": "803", "radius": null, "ip_routing_type": null, "connection_type": null, "location": { "geoname_id": 5368361, "capital": "Washington D.C.", "languages": [ { "code": "en", "name": "English", "native": "English" } ], "country_flag": "https://assets.ipstack.com/images/assets/flags_svg/us.svg", "country_flag_emoji": "🇺🇸", "country_flag_emoji_unicode": "U+1F1FA U+1F1F8", "calling_code": "1", "is_eu": false }, "time_zone": { "id": "America/Los_Angeles", "current_time": "2018-03-29T07:35:08-07:00", "gmt_offset": -25200, "code": "PDT", "is_daylight_saving": true }, "currency": { "code": "USD", "name": "US Dollar", "plural": "US dollars", "symbol": "$", "symbol_native": "$" }, "connection": { "asn": 25876, "isp": "Los Angeles Department of Water & Power", "sld": "ladwp", "tld": "com", "carrier": "los angeles department of water & power", "home": null, "organization_type": null, "isic_code": null, "naics_code": null } } |
Currency
Currency data is data that businesses often get from third-party APIs. Fixer is an API that provides this data today with the highest accuracy and timeliness via HTTP GET. This API is very simple to use and provides data to the client in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. The request URL that allows businesses and developers to obtain forex data from this API is as follows:
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https://data.fixer.io/api/latest?access_key=API_KEY&base=USD&symbols=GBP,JPY,EUR |
The JSON response that will be obtained when an HTTP GET request is sent to this URL is as follows:
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{ "success": true, "timestamp": 1519296206, "base": "USD", "date": "2025-04-03", "rates": { "GBP": 0.72007, "JPY": 107.346001, "EUR": 0.813399, } } |
Weather
Weather data is also one of the most useful data obtained with HTTP GET. The Weatherstack API is a very popular API that provides weather information and serves companies such as Microsoft and Ericsson. This API also sends an error status code to its users in case of an exception. The URL used to get current weather data from this API is as follows:
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https://api.weatherstack.com/current?access_key=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY&query=New York |
When businesses and developers send an HTTP GET request to this URL, the detailed response they will get is as follows:
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{ "request": { "type": "City", "query": "New York, United States of America", "language": "en", "unit": "m" }, "location": { "name": "New York", "country": "United States of America", "region": "New York", "lat": "40.714", "lon": "-74.006", "timezone_id": "America/New_York", "localtime": "2019-09-07 08:14", "localtime_epoch": 1567844040, "utc_offset": "-4.0" }, "current": { "observation_time": "12:14 PM", "temperature": 13, "weather_code": 113, "weather_icons": [ "https://assets.weatherstack.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0001_sunny.png" ], "weather_descriptions": [ "Sunny" ], "astro": { "sunrise": "06:31 AM", "sunset": "05:47 PM", "moonrise": "06:56 AM", "moonset": "06:47 PM", "moon_phase": "Waxing Crescent", "moon_illumination": 0 }, "air_quality": { "co": "468.05", "no2": "32.005", "o3": "55", "so2": "7.4", "pm2_5": "6.66", "pm10": "6.66", "us-epa-index": "1", "gb-defra-index": "1" }, "wind_speed": 0, "wind_degree": 349, "wind_dir": "N", "pressure": 1010, "precip": 0, "humidity": 90, "cloudcover": 0, "feelslike": 13, "uv_index": 4, "visibility": 16 } } |
Conclusion
To sum up, the HTTP GET method is for obtaining data from the server. HTTP GET method sends request parameters via URL and retrieves data. Users widely use it, especially in cases where data does not require modification on the server side. However, when users require data changes, they should prefer using HTTP POST or other HTTP methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are HTTP Request Methods?
HTTP request methods are used by clients to request actions on resources identified by URLs. - What is the HTTP GET API?
The HTTP GET API is used to request data from a server, typically via a URL, without modifying the server state. - What are the Differences Between HTTP GET and POST?
HTTP GET is used to request data from a server, while POST is used to submit data to be processed by the server, often for creation or modification of resources. - What are the Common Use Cases of Using the HTTP GET API?
Common use cases include obtaining geolocation, currency, and weather data from third-party APIs.
