Core Web API Interview Questions : Part 1

Question 1: What is the difference between GET, POST, PUT, PATCH and DELETE in REST API?

The primary difference between GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE in a REST API lies in their intended purpose and how they interact with resources on a server:

• GET: This method is used to retrieve data from a specified resource. It is a read-only operation and should not have any side effects on the server. GET requests can be cached and bookmarked.
  • Code
  • GET /users/123
• POST: This method is used to create a new resource on the server. Data is sent in the request body, and the server processes this data to generate a new resource.
  • Code
  • POST /users

  
                  Content-Type: application/json
                  {
                  "name": "John Doe",
                  "email": "john.doe@example.com"
                	}
                  

• PUT: This method is used to update or replace an entire resource. If the resource identified by the URI exists, it is updated; otherwise, a new resource might be created at that URI. PUT is idempotent, meaning multiple identical PUT requests will have the same effect as a single request.
  • Code
  • PUT /users/123

  
                  Content-Type: application/json
                  {
                	"id": 123,
                	"name": "Jane Doe",
                	"email": "jane.doe@example.com"
                	}
                  

• PATCH: This method is used to partially update an existing resource. Unlike PUT, which replaces the entire resource, PATCH applies a set of changes to specific fields of the resource without affecting others.
  • Code
  • PATCH /users/123

  
                 	Content-Type: application/json
                  {
                  "email": "new.email@example.com"
                  }
                  
                

• DELETE: This method is used to remove a specified resource from the server.
  • Code
  • DELETE /users/123