HTTP Method Explainer

GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE comparison table

Legend

Safe: Does not modify server state (read-only). Safe methods are always idempotent.

Idempotent: Repeating the same request has the same effect as a single request.

Cacheable: Response may be stored and reused by caches.

GET

POST

PUT

PATCH

DELETE

HEAD

OPTIONS

GET

Retrieve a resource. No side effects. Default browser navigation.

Safe: Yes

Idempotent: Yes

Cacheable: Yes

Body: No

Safe	Idempotent	Cacheable	Body
✓	✓	✓	—
—	—	—	✓
—	✓	—	✓
—	—	—	✓
—	✓	—	—
✓	✓	✓	—
✓	✓	—	—

How to use

Click any method badge (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS) to select it.
Read the detail card showing the use case and safe/idempotent/cacheable/body flags.
Scan the comparison table to see all methods side by side at a glance.
Use the legend at the top to understand what each flag means.

Selecting DELETE shows: idempotent yes, safe no, cacheable no — repeating the call leaves the same server state after the resource is gone.
Comparing GET vs POST in the table immediately shows GET is safe and cacheable while POST is neither.

Verify outputs before using in production. No warranty — see Terms.