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GET vs POST

layout: default title: GET vs. POST

So far, the only difference between GET and POST has been how the data is sent:

  • GET - in the query string.
  • POST - in the request body.

A major difference is the intention or each request method.

GET

A GET request should have no new side effects no matter how many times the request is repeated. * A GET request should do no more than retrieve data.

GET requests are said to be idempotent.

idempotent

Clients making the same call repeatedly will produce the same result.

POST

POST is intended for providing information to a server that might be used by the server-side code to modify content on the site.

  • Browsers are required to warn the user before posting a form for a second time (e.g. on a page refresh) because the POSTed data is not guaranteed to be idempotent.

Practice Exercise

It's perfectly fine for a POST to actually be idempotent (having no new side-effects), and POST can have advantages over GET. * For a large, complex form, the length of the URI query string can be awkward and even run into length limits of various browsers and web servers. * Sensitive query parameters should be sent only by POST.


Practice Exercise

We say should when discussing GET vs. POST because you can use them however you want - but you should stick to each method's purpose.

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