GET
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
GET is the HTTP method for reading data. You're just asking 'can I see that?' — no changes, no side effects. When you load any webpage, your browser does a GET. It's purely asking, never creating or modifying anything.
Real Talk
GET is an HTTP method used to retrieve data from a server. It should be idempotent and safe, meaning multiple identical requests have no side effects and don't change server state. Request data is passed via URL parameters, not a body.
Show Me The Code
GET /api/users // Get all users
GET /api/users/42 // Get user with ID 42
GET /api/users?role=admin // Filter users
When You'll Hear This
"Add a GET endpoint to fetch the user list." / "Never use GET to modify data."
Related Terms
CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
CRUD is the four things you can do to data: Create it, Read it, Update it, Delete it. Literally every app ever made is just CRUD in a trenchcoat.
DELETE
DELETE removes rows from a table. It is the 'Delete' in CRUD. Like UPDATE, you MUST use a WHERE clause — without it, you delete everything in the table.
POST
POST is the HTTP method for creating new things. When you submit a form, sign up, or upload a file — that's a POST.
PUT
PUT replaces an entire resource with new data. It's like taking a whole document, throwing it away, and replacing it with a new version.
REST (Representational State Transfer)
REST is a set of rules for how APIs should behave. Think of it as the etiquette guide for servers and clients talking to each other.