difference between post and put

Difference Between Post and Put Methods

When it comes to sending data from a client to a server through HTTP, two methods are available- Post and Put. Although both the methods serve to transfer data over HTTP, there are subtle differences between the two that need to be understood to use them properly.

Table of Contents

Post Method

Post is primarily used for submitting a form to a server, which may result in a change of server state. Whenever you fill out a form online, such as a login form, the data is sent from your browser to the server using the Post method. This method is also useful for creating new resources on the server or sending large amounts of data to the server. However, the data submitted using the Post method is not cached, and each request results in a unique resource being created on the server.

Put Method

Put, on the other hand, is used for updating an existing resource. When you make changes to a document already stored on the server, you can use the Put method to send the changed version of the file back to the server. Unlike the Post method, the Put method is idempotent, which means that sending the same request twice has the same effect as sending it once.

Conclusion

In summary, the main difference between the Post and Put methods is their usage. Use the Post method when creating a new resource or when sending large amounts of data to the server. Use the Put method when updating an existing resource. Understanding the difference between these methods is crucial for web developers to build efficient and effective web applications.

Table difference between post and put

Method	Description
POST	This method requests that a web server accept the data contained in the request body to be stored as a new subordinate of the specified URI or to be processed by the target resource. The server assigns the resource a new URI, which is included in the response.
PUT	This method requests that a web server accept the data contained in the request body to replace an existing resource with the same URI. If the resource does not exist, then it can be created with the requested data. If the resource already exists, then the existing resource is replaced with the requested data.